After Hours
by kirylin
Summary: This is my first attempt at Silentshipping. Please be patient with me. As for an actual summary, Serenity has moved to Domino to live with her brother and go to school with him. She's also attracted Seto Kaiba's attention.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer:

No fan fiction writer typically owns what they are fan-ficcing. (May this statement never come to bite me in the...oops, too late! grin)

Author's Notes:

I'm trying to be a good girl for once and post a story as it's written instead of writing the entire thing before posting. Maybe people will offer some good ideas that can help future chapters.

At any rate, I went on a fan fiction reading rampage between Christmas and New Year's. It was amazing when I sat down to analyze the bulk of my reading habits. For _Yu-Gi-Oh_, I seemed to read a lot of Silentshipping. I've always sworn I would never go that route myself, seeing as Seto Kaiba is my favorite male character and Serenity Wheeler is my favorite female character. I guess those fan fiction authors changed my mind, because I suddenly found myself with this notes file on a Seto/Serenity fic.

I've never been good at listening to myself anyway...

* * *

After Hours 

Chapter 1

Serenity Wheeler was very proud of herself. After several weeks of begging, she managed to convince her mother to allow her to transfer to Joey's high school. Now she was here, enjoying her first day of class with some help from her brother and his friends. She was starting to make friends of her own, and found to her delight that her class had the last period of the day with the rest of the school. Tea had very thoughtfully found a gym uniform for her and allowed Serenity to stash her things in the brunette's locker while waiting to get her own locker.

The girl quickly tied back her long light brown hair into a ponytail and ran out to join the others. Yugi was the first to see her and waved her over to join them along the wall. The girl grinned as she quickly made her way over to her brother's best friend. "How was your day, Serenity?" the spiky-haired teen inquired.

"It was great! Thanks for asking, Yugi!" The sixteen-year-old smiled and nodded before being pulled into a debate between Joey and Tristan. The younger girl looked around the gym, waving at new friends who glared at her jealously. She blew it off, not quite understanding why they were looking at her so oddly.

Class proceeded with no incident. By the end of it, Serenity was tired and sore. She started following Tea toward the locker room when the girls heard voices raised.

"Look, Wheeler, you play soccer about as well as you duel," Seto Kaiba was trying to intimidate Joey Wheeler.

The blond was in no mood to take it, "Listen here, rich boy! We wouldn't have lost if you'd actually play as part of the team once in a while!"

Kaiba took a step back, trying to get Joey out of his personal space. "Whatever, Wheeler. I'm not one of your little cheerleaders!" With that, he pushed the lanky teen aside and continued on toward the boys' locker room.

Joey growled after him, "Kaiba!" Yugi and Tristan caught up with him. "Man, that guy never changes!"

Serenity looked sympathetically at her brother. She remembered hearing about past run-ins between her brother and the CEO of Kaiba Corp. It always ended the same way, with Seto Kaiba insulting her brother. It was a shame, or so she thought, that Kaiba didn't know the Joey she did. She thought they might not fight as often if he did. She could that some sort of mutual respect might develop, but that seemed impossible given that Kaiba was incapable of respecting a fellow human being.

* * *

Grateful to her brother for allowing her to stay with him, Serenity had decided to take on a part-time job to help out with the expenses of an additional person staying in the apartment. She tied on her apron and pulled her hair back into a low ponytail before walking out to the bar. She didn't even like the smell of coffee, but Tea had been kind enough to get this job for her. She couldn't let her friend or her brother down. "Serenity, am I glad you're here! Can you take care of the bean area?" Her supervisor looked completely worn out, possibly even terrified. The girl wasn't sure what could possibly have frightened her supervisor, so she wrote it off as what was probably a long shift. 

"Sure!" Making her way over to the drawers that contained various varieties of coffee beans, she heard the cause of the look on her supervisor's face and cringed.

"Just pick up your cocoa, Mokuba." The taller boy drummed his fingertips tersely on the sleeve of his billowing trenchcoat. "I don't have time for this!" Seto Kaiba snarled. When Serenity looked, she realized he was snarling at his cell phone, not his little brother. With a small sigh of relief for the raven-haired boy, she started cleaning the area she'd been asked to address, wishing she could just vanish into the beans themselves. "And what have we here?" Her heart sank as she heard the sneer in the older teen's voice. "Wheeler has his sister working for her room and board."

"Not that you care, Kaiba, but I volunteered to take this job. I don't expect Joey to provide for me when I'm perfectly capable of providing for myself." The CEO's face scrunched up into a rather unattractive scowl. Hoping he'd take the hint, Serenity turned back to her work. It felt like a lifetime passed before she heard a huff, followed by steps moving away from her. The aroma of coffee replaced the air in her lungs as she released the breath she didn't realize she'd been holding.

When she got home that night, more exhausted than she could ever remember being before, she collapsed on the couch and fell asleep without ever answering Joey's question about how her day went.

* * *

A few days later, the Wheeler siblings agreed to meet everyone at the arcade for the afternoon. After a long week of adjusting to a new school and her job, the auburn-haired girl was only too ready to relax. She and Tea claimed one of the dance machines for a while, both girls playing until neither could walk a straight line. They made their way back to the guys, arm in arm, laughing the entire way. Serenity couldn't remember the last time she'd had so much fun. 

As the girls neared their companions, they could hear arguing. One of the voices Serenity recognized as her brother's. The other was deeper with a gruff edge to it. Tea gasped as they came around a row of games, "Kaiba!" Sure enough, the handsome teen had Joey Wheeler drawn into a pointless argument.

The girls joined Yugi and Tristan at the edge of the argument. Yugi was trying to pull Joey away from the fight, while Tristan was egging the blond on. "What happened?" Tea whispered to Yugi.

Serenity only half-heard the younger duelist's response as she watched her brother's face turn nearly the shade of a tomato as he yelled at the billionaire. She couldn't hear what he was saying because Yugi responded, "Kaiba beat him at an air hockey game."

"That caused this?" Tea asked in disbelief. Joey could be short-tempered at times, especially where Seto Kaiba was concerned, but she'd never seen her friend this upset.

"Well," Yugi admitted, "their game went so long that the table actually had a malfunction and stopped working. Kaiba was winning, but you know Joey. He's convinced if the table hadn't died, he'd have won."

"Then why doesn't he just ask for a rematch?" Serenity's small voice drew the eyes of all her companions, even as hers never left her brother.

"Joey's always been a bit hard-headed. He hates losing to Kaiba," Tristan moved closer to the girl, moving himself away from the fight at the same time.

"I know that, Tristan, but can't he just take the easy way around Kaiba for a change?" She blew air between her teeth in frustration.

Yugi watched his best friend in concern as Kaiba stormed off, "He's just never been one to let things go, Serenity."

She watched her older brother stuff his hands in his pockets and shuffle over to them. _Oh, no_, she thought, _Kaiba won again!_ It was only a matter of moments before his temper would flare again.

Tea was the only one brave enough to approach the volatile duelist, "Is everything all right?"

"Yeah, Tea! Things are great!" Joey stopped beside his sister. "That jerk won't be messin' with me for a while." His friends looked at him in utter surprise. Was it possible Joey actually won his verbal sparring match against Kaiba?

He just grinned. "Come on, let's find something to eat. I'm starvin'!" Happy that their friend was acting like himself, the companions laughed and followed him out of the arcade.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer:

No fan fiction writer typically owns what they are fan-ficcing. (May this statement never come to bite me in the...oops, too late! grin)

Author's Notes:

Yeah, I know. This story has some points worth defending at the moment. At least, I know it's going up edited. I honestly think I edited the first chapter three times. We'll see how many edits this one goes through.

In case you're curious how privately schooled Seto ended up as a student at Domino High, I'd suggest getting a hold of the first episode of the American cartoon. (Strangely enough, he's sitting right there in the Japanese version of the corresponding episode, too.)

I am seriously not giving my author's notes any love on this story, but I really don't know what to say on this one. I'm a die hard Tristan/Serenity kind of girl. I can't explain how Seto/Serenity got into the base of my skull and just nested there until I agreed to write this story. Anyway...you'd probably rather read the story...

* * *

Chapter 2 

The next couple of weeks went by almost painlessly as Serenity adjusted to the routine of her new life. She was even starting to enjoy her job at the coffee shop, although she was noticing a certain person coming to dog her steps every couple of days. Joey must really have gotten to Kaiba for him to go out of his way to further annoy her. The one thing she was grateful for was that Kaiba's little brother was always very nice to her. She became so grateful for Mokuba's interventions that she even put extra sprinkles in his cocoa. If that small dose of extra sugar made the younger boy more of a handful for his old brother, then all the better.

What was truly bothering her was the fact the older teen often said nothing. He preferred to tower over her counter and silently intimidate her. It worked initially, but Serenity forced herself to build up a thick skin. When that failed her, she befriended Mokuba and started chatting with him. It only seemed to annoy Kaiba further.

Even more disturbing was the day Serenity realized she was running into Kaiba far too often at school, too. They shared one class together; otherwise, their classes were nowhere near each other. Yet there he was, passing her in hallways she was almost certain he didn't need to be in to move between his classes. As always, he waited until he established eye contact and sneered that horrible sneer that she thought messed up an otherwise tolerable face.

It started happening more frequently. Eventually, she couldn't walk from one class to another without bumping into the upperclassman. One day, she was talking with a friend, not paying attention to her path, when Kaiba literally ran into her, knocking her books out of her hand and sending them flying. With an angry sigh, she gathered her books as her companion squealed, "You are so lucky, Serenity! You just got to touch Seto Kaiba!"

The redhead wasn't thrilled.

* * *

She was even less thrilled when she realized Kaiba had figured out her work schedule. Because she had to work around her school schedule, her schedule at the coffee shop almost never changed. It quickly became routine to see the Kaiba brothers during nearly every one of her shifts. 

One day, she was wiping down the bar, enjoying a lull in the normal late afternoon rush. She lightly hummed to herself as she cleaned, hoping the quiet would last for a while. Somehow, she failed to notice the tall brunette leaning his back casually against the bar. He said nothing as he watched her, both amused and entranced. Serenity had, unbeknownst to her, given the teen a whole new set of insults to turn against her beloved big brother. Her graceful movements, however, were giving the CEO other ideas.

Another woman appeared behind the counter, "May I help you?" Seto Kaiba 's eyes narrowed as a wry smile grew on his face. Startled, Serenity looked up from the bar. Her heart sank into her shoes as she saw the look on the older teen's face. She had no idea how long he'd been silently standing there, but she knew she was about to find out.

Realizing that Joey's little sister was now aware that he was watching her, Kaiba's smile darkened. "You really ought to hire better help. I've been waiting five minutes." The girl felt the room start to spin as her heart beat raced. Seto Kaiba had just recommended that she be fired. While he technically held no control over this particular coffee shop, it didn't change the fact that he was still Seto Kaiba.

"I- I- I'm sorry, Mr. Kaiba," her supervisor stammered out. Kaiba looked satisfied at the woman's cowering. "I'll have a talk with her as soon as possible."

"See that you do."

Serenity felt miserable. Without meaning to, she just caused trouble for the coffee shop. Her heart was pounding in her ears, but she managed to hear her supervisor ask Kaiba if he wanted anything, and she heard the silence respond.

To the woman's credit, she wasn't angry with Serenity. She could see the girl's face was pale and she was trembling. Seto Kaiba had been bringing his brother to the coffee shop for weeks now, always when Serenity Wheeler was working. She had noticed that Kaiba Corp's CEO never failed to make some disparaging remark to the girl every single time he came into the shop.

With a motherly smile and a great deal of concern, she sent Serenity on a break. She had no idea what the teenager might have done to land herself on the wrong side of Seto Kaiba, but Serenity was a sweet girl and a hard worker who was not going to be dismissed on the orders of an arrogant, power-grabbing teenager.

Serenity had to will her legs to carry her out the back door of the shop and into the alley. There, she sat on a crate and had a good cry.

* * *

"How could you go without me, Big Brother? I wanted to see Serenity!" For an eleven year old, it often angered Kaiba how frequently his brother could act like a small child. If it had been anyone else, he'd have been irritated, but Mokuba more often than not failed to annoy him. 

"I just stopped by on my way home," the elder Kaiba replied gruffly.

"Oh!" Mokuba exclaimed with a hint of mischief in his voice. "You just wanted to see Serenity alone!"

"Why would I do that, Mokuba? She's a Wheeler. You think I want anything to do with the mutt's family?"

"Well, she is kinda pretty," the younger Kaiba started.

"She looks like her brother," he growled. _With red hair and softer eyes_, he added silently.

"You're not denying that she's pretty, Seto!" The elder Kaiba brother exhibited a clear discomfort as his brother laughed. No, he hadn't denied it. He had, in fact, gone to the coffee shop to engage in his new favorite past time of harassing the younger sister of that two-bit duelist Joey Wheeler. As his younger brother bounced around the room taunting him, Kaiba wondered how much trouble he had actually caused the girl. He felt an unfamiliar twinge of guilt momentarily and dismissed it as quickly as it had appeared.

Mokuba finally flopped down on the couch that sat along the far wall of the office, "So, what are you going to do now, Seto?"

His eyes never left the laptop he had been working on ever since his brother walked in, "About what?"

"Serenity!" Mokuba's tone held the "duh" he wouldn't utter at his older brother.

The older boy's face clouded for a moment. Until a moment ago, he assumed he would just continue to torture the girl, both because it was fun and it would kill Joey to know his sister was being tormented by someone he couldn't stop. Right now, though, other thoughts were plaguing him, emotions tugging at him. What he most wanted was to make sure he hadn't caused her too much trouble, but looking up at his brother, the best he could offer was, "I intend to do nothing about Serenity Wheeler." He then turned back to his computer, the conversation ended as far as he was concerned.

Knowing better than to continue on, Mokuba just looked at his brother knowingly.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer:  
Just use the one from Chapter 1. I'm too lazy to cut and paste it today.

Author's Notes:  
In case anyone is wondering, I write these while waiting to teach my half of a test prep course. Two hours of dead silence just seems the appropriate setting to open my composition notebook and start scriblling. All right, my handwriting is actually better than that, but that's really neither here nor there.

I did want to take a moment and thank everyone who has taken the time to read the first two chapters, with a special thanks to those who have been kind enough to review this story or add it to either their favorites or story alert list. It's honestly more attention than any of my stories has ever received, and I greatly appreciate it.

I'm honestly now nervous to write, now that I know people are watching with interest. It's the same thing that has put my graphic novel script on hold. I'll work through it, never fear, but it's going to be through the support of those of you who read and respond to my work. If you see something good, let me know. Similarly, if you see something that doesn't quite work, say something. Thank you!

Feel free to check out my other stories, too. They could use some love.

* * *

Chapter 3 

On her next day off, Joey invited Serenity to join his friends at the Domino Museum, and she gratefully agreed. Schoolwork was starting to pile up, and work was starting to become a place she dreaded, so a relaxing afternoon at the museum was a welcome opportunity.

"Come on, sis! We gotta get goin'!" Her brother's voice floated down the hall.

"Just a minute!" Joey was only occassionally concerned with being on time, and that was only when there was a duel to be had. Serenity shook her head and sighed as she finshed brushing out her hair. Grabbing her jacket on the way out of her room, the redhead quickly joined her brother in the living space of their apartment. When she saw the other person standing with her brother, she suddenly understood Joey's urgency.

"Hi, Serenity! Ready to go?" Mai Valentine winked at her. The girl couldn't help but smile. She looked up to Mai. Pulling on her jacket, she nodded.

"Well, all right! Let's go!" Joey's exicted voice was about all the warning either girl got as the blond duelist ran between them, grabbing each of their hands on his way out the door.

* * *

Fairly quickly, Serenity found herself in a sea of familiar faces. Her brother's friends had always welcomed her presence, and she always felt like she just belonged with them. The group split up to explore the museum, though, as they couldn't agree on where to go. The girl quickly found herself dragged off by Tristan and Duke. She'd spent a fair amount of time with both guys in the past, and truth be told, they were the two she felt most comfortable around as a result. The trio walked into a newly opened exhibition, a series of dioramas tracing the history of samurai in Japan. 

Serenity was quickly swept up in the eye-catching exhibits, reading every caption she could find. Her companions were distracted, quickly falling into arguments that made little sense to her as she heard snippets of the conversation. Hoping to pull them both back to their purpose for walking into the exhibition, she tried to catch their attention, "Wow, I wonder how much these guys had to work out just to be able to wear their armor for long periods of time?" Not realizing she was furthering the argument, she blinked her eyes as innocently as she could.

The teens both just about fell over themselves trying to step up beside her to look at the diorama and answer her question. Frustrated, and slowly realizing at least part of what was fueling their argument, she marched out of the exhibition, hoping to escape the two boys competing for her attention while forgetting she was right in front of them. They soon realized they had driven her off, which only aggravated the argument further.

She could hear their voices getting louder and louder as she ran out into the museum's main gallery. Looking over her shoulder to make sure the two hadn't followed her, she soon collided with something solid that knocked her to the ground. "Oh my goodness! I'm so sorry! I-" she looked at the ground as a small, slender hand reached down to help her to her feet.

"It's okay, Serenity," she looked up in surprise. It was Yugi, the last person she expected to find. He gently pulled her to her feet, "Why were you running out of there?" His voice was full of concern as he looked past her into the exhibition. Serenity looked back, too, trying not to laugh as she saw a rather bedraggled Tristan and Duke come around the corner into the last section of the exhibition.

"Let's just say I had my reasons," she sighed. An idea popped into her head, one she hoped would let the other two know exactly where they stood with her. She quickly grabbed Yugi's arm. "Thank you for helping me. Come on, let's get out of here"

The spiky-haired teen looked at his best friend's sister incredulously. "Um...okay." He started walking toward the Egyptian exhibition, where he knew Tea was waiting for him, but he couldn't help noticing that Serentiy hadn't let go of his arm. "Are you all right? Should I find Joey?"

"Hmm?" she asked. Then, she realized she was still grapsing his arm. With a look over her shoulder at two forlorn faces just exiting the samurai exhibit, she smiled sweetly, "Nope, everything's fine."

"All right," Yugi sounded doubtful as he stuffed his hands in his pockets, her small, gentle hands still wrapped around his upper arm. Serenity certainly wasn't acting like she was all right, but if she wouldn't tell him what was wrong, then he decided he could be a good friend and play along until she was ready to talk.

* * *

As she looked over her shoulder to look for Tristan and Duke, Serenity failed to notice two figures watching her from the other side of the main gallery. The shorter one kept tugging at his brother's sleeve insistently, but the taller one seemed completely uninterested in going anywhere. For reasons that escaped him, he was seething at the moment. 

Kaiba kept trying to tell himself that the anger was firmly rooted in seeing Yugi Moto and his geeky friends wandering around the museum. It was bad enough he had to see them throughout the week at school, but now they were encroaching on his free time, too. Mokuba had wanted to go say hi to Yugi when they first saw him, but Kaiba responded by storming out of the exhibition, dragging his younger brother with him.

It hadn't stopped there. The geek squad had apparently decided to split up through the museum, and he couldn't set foot in a single exhibition without running into at least two of them. It was enough to put him in a very bad mood. Mokuba finally found an exhibit free of the group, and the two wandered through it. When they emerged, however, the main hall was occupied by two of the group. Kaiba felt his blood boil as he watched Joey Wheeler's red-headed sister grab Yugi's arm, and the two walked off. There was no discernible reason why seeing those two together should irk him so much, in his own mind, but he definitely didn't like the thought of the fiery girl attached to his rival.

Mokuba's tugging had become more insistent, pulling Kaiba away from his wall perch, tearing his eyes away from where Serenity Wheeler and Yugi Moto had been standing. The little boy was starting to whine as he dragged Kaiba through the main gallery, and the elder brother decided it was time for them to leave.

Subconsciously, their path took them to a certain coffee shop. The older woman Kaiba was used to seeing working with Serenity was on the bar, and smiled as she started Mokuba's cocoa. If she weren't terrifed of the older Kaiba, she'd have told him that the barista he appeared to be stalking wasn't in. As it was, he didn't appear to be searching for her anyway. He let his brother pick up the large cup and they departed more quickly than usual. She sighed, almost gratefully, and started preparing the bar for the next order.

* * *

Author's Endnote:  
Please don't hold this chapter against itself. It came to me on my walk yesterday, and I'm not entirely certain that I'm happy with how it played out. Suggestions and reassurances welcome. 


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer:  
These get tiresome after a while. One would think putting it on the first chapter would suffice.

Author's Note:  
I'll guess that I'm not the only one who looked at Chapter 3 with a bit of disinterest. Lord help us all, Ceara has no plot, and that chapter really highlighted that. I may have no plot. Oh, dear. Kaiba hasn't quite realized that Joey's sister has caught his attention, and Serenity has absolutely no clue that Mokuba's horribly mean and unfair brother has taken an interest in her. It's kind of cute in an angsty sort of way.

I'm combing through my writing notes at the moment, trying to find some of the notes for this story. Some of the best ones were lost because they struck while I was taking a walk or a shower. I've considered investing in a voice recorder for my walks. The shower...perhaps that weatherproof paper would work. I have no idea.

* * *

Chapter 4

Midterms quickly settled in. To her dismay and distraction, Joey didn't share his sister's need to study instead inviting his friends over to hang out. Serenity could handle Yugi and Tea; both usually studied with her. Not that one could get much studying done with the noise Tristan and Joey were making. As much as she adored both her brother and his friend, she couldn't see how either expected to pass their exams.

Exam week disrupted Serenity's work schedule. She reduced her hours at the coffee shop to give herself more study time. Half her shifts were spent catching up on gossip from both her coworkers and the regulars. Most of it was fairly routine, but she was unnerved to discover the Kaiba brothers were still coming in during what would have been her normal shift. She had noticed that she was running into the elder Kaiba less frequently at school, and when she did see him he never acknowledged her existence. Her feeling that things were returning to normal shattered as she realized Seto Kaiba's odd behavior was best explained by the older teen's focus on the exams.

She tried not to think about that as she approached her first set of exams. Meeting her brother and his friends at the game shop, she quickly ascertained that most of the group felt they'd done fine on their exams. Joey professed confidence in his scores, but his decision to not commit to his opinion earned him a knowing look from everyone in the room. Trying to annoy the blond, Tristan drew him into a debate over who had done better on his exams. Serenity couldn't help but laugh, but Tea rested her chin on her hand and sighed, "Some things never change."

The second day of exams took its toll on everyone. Joey had studied as much for these tests as he had for his first exams, only now his nerves were showing the strain. He was lashing out at anything and everything, scaring his sister at one point as he took out his frustration on his locker. She couldn't see how that helped, but it was enough to encourage her to steer clear of Joey until after school..

That afternoon, she walked toward the school yard with her friends, everyone discussing the awful exam they had just completed. As soon as they reached the edge of the yard, Serenity heard a familiar voice yelling. "Yeah...well..."

"Ever the debater. Give it up, Wheeler." Looking across the school yard, she could see Joey squaring off against Seto Kaiba. While the upperclassman may have decided to leave her alone this week, his hatred for her brother seemed to strike at the worst possible time. Joey was fuming as Kaiba started to turn away from him. "At least, I can dress myself."

"What's that supposed to mean? We're both wearing the school uniform." Joey looked down at his uniform, which had admittedly been rumpled from living on the floor of his room

"And yet somehow," Kaiba sneered, "you managed to show up this morning looking like you slept in yours."

"Maybe I was up late studying. Ever think of that, Kaiba?"

The teenaged CEO turned back towards the blond duelist. "You? Study? That's a joke." He snorted for emphasis. "Do you even know how to read, Wheeler?"

Serenity had listened to Kaiba's insults long enough, first at the coffee shop and now in the school yard. Aggravated, she pushed her way through the crowd and stepped between the two teens. The tension was palpable. The girl was too worked up to lose her resolve, though. "My brother reads just fine, Kaiba:

Amused by the interruption, the upperclassman smiled smugly at Joey. "Still can't fight your own fights, Wheeler? How pathetic! First, you have Yugi fight your duels, and now your sister has to win your arguments for you. What's next? Is Tea going to start beating up people for you?"

Before Joey could respond, Serenity all but exploded, "I don't have to do anything for him! My brother can take care of himself."

"Is that so?" A faint smirk tugged at the corners of Kaiba's mouth as he slowly advanced toward Serenity. His eyes darkened with each step as they focused on the redhead trying bravely to hold her ground. He missed the fact that Yugi and Tristan had closed in on the trio. He also missed seeing Tristan throw his leg out as Kaiba came within an arm's reach of Serenity.

The tall teen fell with an unexpected lack of grace, knocking his target down in the process. He tried to maneuver himself to hit the ground first, but her struggling made it nearly impossible. By the time they hit the ground, Serenity was at the bottom of the pile. Looking up at him, near terror in her eyes, she pushed him with all the strength she could muster, "Get off me!"

He rolled off of her and onto his feet in one smooth motion, looking relatively unruffled as he brushed himself off and offered a hand to her. She quickly brushed it aside. "Suit yourself," Kaiba shrugged as he spun on his heel and started to make his way out of the school yard. In the time it took the teenager to find her feet, three voices had erupted, all of them targeting the lanky duelist:

"Kaiba, where do ya think you're goin'? I'm not finished with you!"

"Kaiba, you really ought to apologize for knocking down Serenity."

"Kaiba, you jerk!"

The last was lost in the vehemence of the other two. Tristan didn't care. He felt he'd voiced his opinion of the older student strongly enough when he tripped him. While Joey and Yugi attempted to gain Kaiba's attention, Tristan turned to check on Serenity.

"I'm fine," she blew a stray hair out of her face, "just annoyed. I don't understand how Kaiba can be so heartless!" Trying to still her racing heartbeat, she took a few deep breaths. For one brief moment, she'd been able to hear Seto Kaiba's heart beat as clearly as she could hear her own, smell the musky cologne that lightly evaporated off his skin. She didn't know why, but the experience had left her feeling more exhilarated than angry.

As Kaiba vanished from the school yard, Joey whirled around to face Tristan and Serenity. "Hey, Serenity, ya okay? Kaiba didn't hurt you or nothin', right?"

She could clearly see in her brother's eyes his desire for a reason to go after the aloof teen again, and she realized in that instant that she had tired of being a flash point between them. "Yes, Joey. I'm fine."

"Good." His tone suggested that he was actually disappointed to find his little sister intact, but Joey quickly turned to run out of the school yard, "After that, I could definitely use a snack."

* * *

Seto Kaiba sat at his desk lightly rubbing his arms. He'd taken the brunt of the fall in his wrists trying to keep his full weight from slamming into the slender girl. It had been worth it, though, just to see the look on the geek squad's faces as he nonchalantly stood up from knocking over Joey's sister. Thankfully, Mokuba hadn't seen the fight, or Kaiba knew he'd never hear the end of it. He'd be subjected to claims that he had tripped into her on purpose, that he'd lingered over her a little longer than necessary to hear her heart beat synchronize with his, to smell the light clean scent that wafted up from her startled form. 

He sighed. Eventually, he'd figure out who tripped him and make them pay. That much was certain. For now, he might use the afternoon's events to further torment the spirited Serenity Wheeler.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer:  
No fan fiction writer typically owns what they are fan-ficcing. (May this statement never come to bite me in the...oops, too late! grin)

Author's Notes:  
I can't tell if it's the story or me, but it appears something is falling asleep around here. I could be wrong, but something just isn't working out here. It is possible it's all in my head. I am my own worst critic. Maybe you guys can tell me what you think.

I'm also feeling a bit stuck. I had some very vague notes for this story, and it's ended up playing out in a way that makes incorporating my notes difficult. I'm working on putting it back on track, but I feel...I don't know...I feel like I'm fighting with this story. Perhaps I need to just walk away from it and work on other pieces until inspiration hits again. I may take a vacation from this piece and go work on my manga script again.

We'll see how this chapter goes.

* * *

_Chapter 5_

For the next week, Serenity couldn't look at Kaiba without blushing. She'd started doing anything in her power to not have to deal with him. At school, she'd risk being late to classes, afraid he was still stalking her. Gym was a nightmare. She stayed close to Joey and his friends, her eyes more often than not fixed on the ground just to avoid the potential of accidentally looking up and seeing the moody upperclassman. At work, she would come up with one of any number of tasks to do in the back room of the coffee shop when she saw the Kaiba brothers coming. To most people, she just came across as moody. Her supervisor figured her out pretty quickly, and did her part to help get the redhead out of the main shop.

The only Kaiba noticing Serenity's disappearing act was Mokuba. "Hi, Junko! Does Serenity still work here? I haven't seen her in ages!" The supervisor smiled as she steamed the milk for the younger boy's hot chocolate, the smile evaporating as she noticed the elder Kaiba's scowl. She wasn't sure what was behind it, and she was even more certain that she didn't care. Seto Kaiba had done something to Serenity. Junko knew that much, even if she didn't know what. She'd be damned if she was going to say anything too informative while he was standing right there, even though Mokuba was friends with the girl.

"Don't be ridiculous, Mokuba. It's only been a week!" Kaiba admonished his younger brother. _Since the day in the schoolyard._ "Don't exaggerate." The smaller boy nodded, his mood sobered under his brother's gruffness.

"Yes, she still works here. I think she's still really busy with school, though." The dark-haired boy took his cocoa. Extra sprinkles! She made it just the way Serenity did! The younger Kaiba literally bounced all the way to the door, followed by his older brother. Kaiba stopped at the door, sweeping the room with his eyes once before following his sugar-hyped brother out of the coffee shop. As much as she didn't care for the elder Kaiba, it made her feel better to know that she brightened the younger one's mood.

The door from the back area swung open moments later. "Is Seto Kaiba stalking you, dear?" Junko didn't have to turn away from the counter where she was preparing samples to see the startled look on her employee's face.

She heard the deep breath that preceded, "No, I don't think he's stalking me. He just..."

"Keeps turning up the same places you do?" the woman completed gently, the knowledge in her eyes filling her voice.

The girl blushed nearly the color of her hair. "I know he doesn't get along with my brother. I think he's only doing it to make Joey mad."

"Is it working?" the older, wiser woman asked.

"I don't know," Serenity admitted.

* * *

Serenity's disappearing act found itself doomed a couple of days later. She had waited in the girls' restroom during the passing period, pretending to primp whenever another girl walked in. As the bell rang, she took a deep breath and headed into the hallways. Most of her teachers, although disturbed by her newfound tardiness, had been pretty forgiving, but Serenity really hated being late and disrupting class. Once she determined the halls were mostly clear, she started running to her next class. Rounding a corner too quickly, she tripped over herself and sent the books in her arms flying. She quickly gathered most of them, unable to find her notebook. Behind her, she heard footfalls. She turned, only to have the notebook thrust quietly onto her pile of disheveled books. Her benefactor moved too quickly for her to notice who it was. As she spun around to thank them, her stomach turned inside out. An all-too-familiar figure was rapidly vanishing down the hallway.

With an angry sigh, she headed on to class, realizing she was going to have to come up with a Plan C for avoiding him at school.

* * *

Gym class, her favorite part of the day, was becoming a chore. Serenity couldn't figure out how to keep herself out of Kaiba's line of sight, and she was disconcerted to find his eyes on her frequently during the period, an emotion hidden within them that she couldn't understand. Inevitably, she was remaining after class nearly every single day with her brother's friends as Joey tried to bait Kaiba into half a dozen arguments. Over the past couple of days, though, they'd all noticed the upperclassman showed little or no interest in the blond. Even Joey had become concerned about the brooding teenager's silence. That afternoon, however, the silence never had a chance to be appreciated. Kaiba was absent from class. The group noted it quickly, and the end of class was punctuated by Joey's constant claims that he could have outperformed the older duelist at any of the afternoon's activities, not much of an improvement over his picking fights with the teen. The others chuckled and placated him. It didn't lighten the mood or cure the unease that seemed to settle on the group.

"Hey, Serenity, didn't you say Kaiba and Mokuba come into the coffee shop sometimes?" Yugi asked. She nodded uneasily. "Has he seemed different lately?"

The girl shrugged, "I've been spending most of my time in the stock area recently, so I haven't seen them." It wasn't a lie; she just didn't want to tell her brother's spiky-haired best friend why she'd been hiding at work.

"Hmmm," Yugi looked contemplatively at his Puzzle, almost as if he was communing with it.

"We should visit the coffee shop!" Joey decided.

"Don't do anything that will get your sister in trouble, Joey," warned Tea.

"Who's gettin' in trouble?" Joey smirked. "Besides if that jerk Kaiba shows up-"

"You'll do nothing, Joey!" Serenity cut him off forcefully. She might as well have slapped him from the look on his face. "I don't need your protection. Kaiba isn't doing anything except living his life."

"And getting up in Joey's grill every chance he gets," Tristan offered helpfully. Joey's snarling face made it clear how helpful he found the brunette's contribution to the conversation.

"Kaiba's just being himself. He'll keep doing this until he's gotten a reaction from you," Tea reminded Joey. Serenity couldn't help but wonder how the young CEO would recognize Joey's anger over his behavior toward her, given that the two were constantly at each other's throats.

Yugi, who had been silently listening to his friends while playing with the Millennium Puzzle, finally broke out of the trance he'd appeared to be in, "I think we should go to the coffee shop. It'd be nice to just sit and relax for an afternoon." Both girls looked gratefully to the shy duelist for trying to help smooth things over by repurposing the afternoon's coffee break.

Joey's annoyance screamed on his face. "If he shows up, I'm not taking it lightly. He's harrassin' my sister!"

Remembering her recent conversation with Junko, Serenity sighed, "Or maybe he's trying to harrass you!" With that, she turned and walked toward the locker room, Tea close behind. The guys looked at each other, shrugged, and went back to their own locker room.

* * *

Author's Afterword:  
It's slowly occuring to me that the story just feels like it's stagnating. I know there's a point in here somewhere. It's just having trouble coming out. Perhaps when it gets its editing week, that which feels stagnant will become more useful. I just don't know. 


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer:  
If you really need a disclaimer, you haven't been paying attention.

Author's Notes:  
Against my better judgment, I'm sitting here contemplating this chapter and realizing the next chapter will most likely be written on a train between here and Portland next weekend. Mmm... writing on a train... There's something almost romantic in that. Knowing my luck, that means that I'll really just stare out the window and sing along to my favorite work playlist instead of getting anything real done. We'll see.

This chapter was inspired by an amusing weekend with a new friend. As I was staring at the blank screen grasping for a beginning to this chapter, he suggested one of my all-time favorite first lines: "It was a dark and stormy night". The chapter doesn't begin that way, but it certainly ends there! Chapter seven is already trying to write itself! I think I may have finally hit this story's groove!

* * *

Chapter 6

The bright laughter that filled the coffee house filled Junko with warmth. When she saw the group of teenagers enter the coffee house, she was nervous that they would disrupt what had been an otherwise pleasant evening. Then she saw Serenity among them and just smiled. It was the first time she'd seen the girl among friends. The teen smiled and waved at her, taking the time to introduce everyone Junko didn't already know. The group got their drinks and snacks quickly and took over a couple of tables in the corner. The auburn-haired girl sunk into a plush chair, sipping her tea carefully as she listened to her brother and his friends and relaxing in her surroundings.

Junko watched her, a smile spreading across her face. This was the Serenity she had hired, the one she enjoyed having as an employee. Relaxed, smiling, surrounded by people who cared about her. It was such a welcome change from the girl who ran for the back room every time the door opened for fear of running into someone who couldn't stand her brother.

Another pair of eyes watched the younger Wheeler quietly from outside the coffee shop. He didn't care for the company she was keeping, but there was no denying that there was something about the unusually subdued girl that didn't permit him to walk away.

* * *

The skies the next morning were as grey as Kaiba's heart, drowning Domino by the early afternoon. Joey grumbled as the gym teacher informed everyone that they would be running outside for the period.

"What's the matter, Wheeler? Afraid of a few raindrops?"

"At least he's heading outside," came a defiant voice not two steps behind the blond.

Seto Kaiba's lips curled into a satisfied smile before quickly falling into a smirk. For some reason he couldn't put his finger on, he was glad to see that the previous evening seemed to have restored Serenity Wheeler's fire. His eyes locked onto her as he addressed her brother, "I guess you're used to being out in the rain like a bad dog." His attention shifted back to the elder Wheeler on the last four words.

"Don't talk to my brother like that, Kaiba!"

Deep blue eyes shifted back to take in the delicate girl. "Still can't defend yourself, Wheeler?"

"Stop that! My brother has done nothing to you! Why must you be so mean to him?"

Kaiba stifled an impressed chuckle. Not many people were willing to stand up to KaibaCorp's young president. Joey Wheeler often tried, but fell tragically short as words failed him or his friends pulled him away. The upperclassman was pleased to see neither stopping the girl this afternoon. "That's true. Wheeler hasn't done anything _for_ me."

He departed amid protests from both Wheeler siblings. Joey's, "Kaiba, you jerk!" almost drowned out his sister's retort, "That's not what I meant, Kaiba!"

The gym teacher, oblivious to the disturbance, soon sent everyone outside for their run. By the time she returned to the locker room, Serenity was soaked to the bone and freezing.

* * *

Her hair still hadn't dried by the time she got to work. Carefully, she twisted the waist-long auburn strands up into a bun and stuck a pencil through it to hold it in place. Junko took one look at the bedraggled teen and made her a cup of warm tea. "What happened?"

"Gym class," the girl responded, teeth still chattering. Junko gave the girl plenty of time to warm herself to the point where she wasn't chattering before putting her to work. Privately, the woman hoped Serenity's recovering time would overlap the Kaibas' routine visit, and was disheartened when the teen announced she was ready to work before the brothers showed up.

The evening was moderately busy, Serenity spending as much time as she could making drinks to further warm herself with the heat coming off the machine. By the time things had slowed down, Serenity could feel her fingertips again.

"Serenity, dear, I'm going on a break. I think things will stay quiet enough for you to handle it alone while I'm out." The girl nodded and the supervisor disappeared into the backroom.

Humming along with the music filling the coffee shop, Serenity started clean the area where the whole beans were kept. She heard the bells that had recently been tied to the front door chime, "I'll be with you in just a moment."

"Take your time, Serenity." She jumped, not expecting to hear Mokuba Kaiba behind her. Her heart dove straight for her feet as she tried to turn to face the little boy and the brother she knew was accompanying him.

"Oh, hi, Mokuba." The boy grinned and nodded, his ebony hair bouncing slightly. Reminding herself of that afternoon's run-in with the teen CEO, Serenity turned and made a small bow, figuring that would be the easiest way to keep her temper and her act together, "Kaiba." The taller boy was visibly startled by her actions. "Your usual, Mokuba?" Calm courage flooded Serenity's voice as she walked over to the register.

"Yes," a gruff voice replied. "I'll take a cup of coffee," Serenity froze, her fingers poised over the register, "and they'll both be for here." Her eyes couldn't hide her surprise. Kaiba was always in such a hurry to leave the coffee house; now he would be here several minutes as he and Mokuba finished their drinks.

Noticing the weather outside was still nasty, a mean thought played through the redhead's mind, a chance to avenge her brother, "What's the matter, Kaiba? Afraid of a few raindrops?"

The older teen's eyes flared for just a moment before settling into a steel gaze. "I have nowhere pressing to be."

"That's a change," Serenity muttered as she poured coffee into a mug and placed it in front of the boy who delighted in tormenting her brother no end. She quickly moved away to make Mokuba's cocoa, trying to dissuade Kaiba from saying anything else.

The chesnut-haired teen watched as Serenity deftly and quickly created the sickeningly sweet liquid, not a movement wasted. It was like watching a well-rehearsed dance. The corporate president appreciated efficiency, and Serenity Wheeler's creation of the cocoa had him utterly captivated. There was something else, though, a slight tremor in her hand as she placed the mug at the edge of the counter.

Mokuba gleefully grabbed the mug and ran off to a table. Kaiba watched the girl a minute longer, eyes scanning her slender form as he tried to determine why she seemed to be shaking. When his eyes finally landed on her hair, her damp bun slightly darker than the rest of her dry hair, he realized she was probably drying out from the class run and her walk to work.

The question came out of his mouth before he had the opportunity to consider it, "How are you getting home?" Her eyes widened in surprise, the look on her face questioning his intent. "Look, you've obviously spent a lot of time in the rain today. When do you get off work?" He couldn't believe the words as they tumbled out of his mouth, but the more he thought about them, the more he realized he honestly didn't want to risk Serenity's getting sick from the inclement weather. He was feeling guilty enough over how he had been treating her.

For her part, Serenity Wheeler just stood there silently staring at him as if she were trying to see right through him.

He wanted to be annoyed at her lack of response. He wanted to tell her she was no better than her mutt brother. For reasons that escaped him, the words that came out were, "I'll be here for a bit. If you want a ride home, let me know." He turned to join his brother, already halfway through his cocoa.

She stood there a few moments longer in shock before forcing herelf to start brewing a new pot of coffee.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer:  
_checks ID_ Nope, still not Takahashi-sensei, and therefore can safely say this is nothing more than a derivative work. The characters belong to Takahashi-sensei. The plot bunny is entirely my fault. The plot ninjas can now be safely blamed on Chloe.

Author's Notes:  
I'm sitting on a train to Portland right now. I must say, there is something rather alluring about the gentle rocking of a train, watching the gorgeous Pacific Northwest coastline go by while listening to Eric Stuart sing one of your favorite songs while you plot to do things to one of your favorite characters voiced by Mr. Stuart. Heh. I'm having a good morning, and the sun is barely above the horizon!

I think it's safe to say that my interest level in this story has returned, along with some fun little plot points. I blame Ki Wingz for that! I actually have a page of notes in my planner for this story now, thanks to her. Seriously, it's sitting on top of my backpack, ready to refresh my memory at a moment's notice! Again, not my fault. mischievous grin

At any rate, a brief recap for those (like me) who may not remember the basic story up to this point: Serenity has tranferred to Joey's school and taken a job at a local coffee shop. Kaiba has discovered that Joey's little sister is available for harrassment, but he didn't anticipate that she'd fight back. He's now intrigued and, in a rather out-of-characer manner, has started stalking poor Serenity. (Of course, he doesn't see it that way. He thinks he's just trying to be handy for any opportunity to give her grief.) Serentiy, for her part, is a bit scared, but still trying to stand her ground against Kaiba.

Also, please forgive my dramatic opening line. I've always wanted to start something this way, and it was a friend who suggested that I do it in this story. (He hasn't even read it yet! Maybe he read part of it, I honestly can't remember.)

* * *

Chapter 7

It was a dark and stormy night. Seto and Mokuba sat in the coffee shop, the younger Kaiba polishing off a few cocoas, as they waited for Serenity to get off work. Kaiba had been keeping a careful eye on the weather, waiting for it to let up, hoping it wouldn't. For reasons beyond his comprehension, he felt compelled to make sure Serenity would get home safely.

The weather had remained fairly stable over the course of the evening. The same couldn't have been said for the girl hard at work behind the counter. More than once, Kaiba had caught her eyes just long enough to watch her cheeks flush. As the evening wore on, he realized the flush wasn't going away, and if anything the teen seemed unusually tired. He realized he'd been right to stay longer at the coffee shop. There was no way she would be able to get home under her own power.

* * *

By the time she was finished cleaning everything and doing the prep for the morning crew, Serenity felt like she was going to fall over. Her lungs felt like they were on fire, and she couldn't remember being so tired. It wasn't being tired, though; it felt like she was moving through quicksand, every movement an effort for her. She gathered her belongings and wished Junko good night. 

Her surpervisor looked at her, concerned. "Are you feeling all right, Serenity?"

"I'm fine. I just need some sleep."

Junko looked uncertain. "If you say so, dear. Good night."

The girl waved and headed toward the front of the coffee shop. She dutifully locked the door behind her and turned to face the pouring rain. Despite the fact she was certain the Kaiba brothers had left nearly half an hour earlier, she was certain she could see a familiar limo in front of her. As she started walking home, one of the limo doors opened.

"Get in," a gruff voice commanded. Serenity looked at him incredulously. He signed, almost angrily, "You'd do well to accept my hospitality. You're in no shape to make it home in this weather. Now, get in." At the repeated command, Kaiba stood aside, clearing the way for Serenity to do as he had now instructed her twice.

Drenched after only a couple of minutes in the rain, Serenity looked like a street urchin, tired and bedraggled. She was utterly baffled by the CEO's interest in seeing her out of the elements. He sighed once more, moving to block the path he had opened a minute earlier. Deciding that his offer was probably better than getting even more sick, trying to ignore the fact she was getting sick, she moved as quickly as she could toward the limo. Kaiba stepped aside again just long enough to let her crawl in and give her address to the driver, and then followed her into the car that blended with the night.

The drowned girl seated herself opposite her schoolmate, looking out the window for a few minutes before she fell asleep, unable to overcome her exhaustion. Mokuba was stretched out on the seat beside her already. The only one still awake, Kaiba contented himself to stare out the window, watching the rain, waiting for them to arrive at Serenity's home until another idea entered his head. He gave orders to the driver, and then settled back in his seat and watched the two sleeping children across from him.

* * *

Serenity woke up wrapped in a warm blanket. The last thing she remembered was Kaiba waving her into his limo. She couldn't remember arriving home or making her way to her bed. Then again, she realized that what she was lying on didn't feel like her bed. It didn't even feel like a bed. Her eyes opened quickly, searching for some clue of where she was. The room she was in was unfamiliar. Dark paneling intermingled with the occassional bookshelf. As she placed a hand on her makeshift bed to lift herself up, she realized she was lying on leather. She gasped as she sat up and took a good look around the room, her eyes stopping on the desk that matched the walls. 

"You're awake. Good." The voice filled her with a sense of dread. The last thing she remembered involved Seto Kaiba, but she had assumed he would take her to her own home.

"Where am I?" she asked, guessing that she already knew the answer.

"This is my office in the mansion," he replied curtly, not looking up from his computer.

"Why am I here?"

"You were wet, sick, and asleep. I thought it might be easier to bring you here and let you recover from two of those conditions before you went home."

"You just didn't want to deal with Joey," Serenity shot back. She wondered if her brother even knew where she was.

"I don't feel the need to explain myself to Wheeler," Kaiba intoned threateningly. Serenity didn't shrink at the voice. She knew Kaiba hated her brother. Idly, she wondered if this was just one more attempt to get under Joey's skin.

Kaiba looked up from his computer, his eyes landing directly on her, concern filling his face. She blushed angrily and looked away. The worry in his voice only made her feel more self-conscious, "You're still sick. You should sleep." His concern didn't conceal the fact that he has just given her yet another order.

She didn't feel like complying. "I want to go home, Kaiba!"

"Are you under the impression that you're a prisoner here?" Her eyes widened. She hadn't actually meant to sound that way at all. The older teen smiled, a light that didn't touch his deep blue eyes, "Once you've had a chance to rest, I'll see to it you get home." He turned back to his work.

Serenity tried to process everything. Kaiba was being distantly polite to her. Joey didn't know where she was, and he had to be worried. She had to work today, too. In a sudden panic, she blurted out, "What time is it?"

"It's about 9:00am." She sighed, somewhat relieved. If Junko was also left wondering where she was, she'd feel just awful. Kaiba must have noticed something in the redhead's facial expression, "If you're worried about missing work, I've already called the coffee shop and told them you aren't coming in."

"You what?" she all but shrieked. "What gives you the right to-"

"Your supervisor seemed relieved to hear you were taking the day off. Apparently, she was quite concerned about you." Serenity couldn't help but notice a bit of a sneer edging his voice. It drove her crazy. She formed another response, but couldn't find the energy to lob it at her smug companion.

* * *

Chapter 8 was also mostly written on an unusually long train ride last night, but it won't be showing up for a while. 


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer:  
Blah blah not Kazuki Takahashi. Blah blah don't own any of the characters or settings in Yu-Gi-Oh. Blah blah this is a derivative work.

Author's Notes:  
Trains are good places for writing, especially when you realize that you are facing down four or five weeks of having your writing schedule disrupted. By the time you see this chapter, it will be a week old, and I likely will hate it, even if I do feel that I've maneuvered Kaiba and Serenity back into something that more closely resembles their normal personalities.

I may also have dealt with half a dozen computer problems. It started when Firefox decided I really didn't need to click on any links. I've switched to Opera for the time being while I decide what to do about Firefox. Ultimately, I'll end up uninstalling and reinstalling it, I suspect. ( I did, in fact, end up uninstalling and reinstalling Firefox and am back to my happy browser.) Then, during my trip to Portland, my power cable broke. We don't know how, but one end started pulling out of the box. Joy! Fortunately, the friend I was visiting works at a computer store, and was able to get me up and running again, but those were a bitter twenty-four hours. Now, I'm just waiting for the next issue to pop up. I might just cry. (It ended up only being two problems. One is fixed; the other is really grating on my nerves. Oh, well.)

* * *

Chapter 8

Serenity didn't remember collapsing on the couch in Kaiba's office after trying to yell at him. The next time she woke up, however, she was neither at home, nor in Kaiba's home office. She was in a soft bed, probably the softest bed she'd ever slept on in her entire life. She couldn't prove it, but she suspected she was still in Kaiba's mansion. He had agreed to take her home once she was recovered. Serenity wondered who was going to get to decide when that was, knowing it wouldn't be her.

She tried to find a clock in the room to no avail, and finally walked out in search of...well, anything that could possibly get her away from Kaiba and on her way home. The first person she ran into as she wandered the mansion was Mokuba, who excitedly hugged her and promised her breakfast. She never even got a chance to ask him for the time.

Her path soon took her into the foyer of the manor. _This would be helpful if I had seen where I was taken last night! _She sat down on the bottom step and tried to think. Of course, sitting right across from the front door, she realized there was nothing saying she couldn't just walk out it. Deciding that she wasn't in the mood to find out how long Kaiba intended her to remain his guest, she managed to get her small hand wrapped around the door knob before she heard the voice she had been dreading.

"Leaving so soon? And without even saying goodbye." Serenity turned slowly, already knowing who she'd see behind her. Kaiba leaned casually against the stair railing, watching her with amusement. "One would think your brother would have taught you better manners...oh...wait...no. Your brother is a mutt."

"I wish you'd stop calling Joey that. He's really a great guy!" Kaiba snorted. Serenity shook her head, "He's got to be worried about me by now. I really have to go home."

"He knows where you are," the young man said, far too off-handedly for her taste.

"What? How?" She tried hard to remember anything after waking up in Kaiba's office, but realized she had no memory of calling home.

Kaiba smirked. "I ran into Yugi Moto this morning at his grandfather's game shop." Serenity nodded, understanding what had happened. She never called home, and Kaiba didn't have to waste his time telling her big brother where she was. The good-hearted duelist probably wasted no time in letting Joey know where she was the moment Kaiba stepped out of the game shop.

"What were you doing at the game shop?"

"I had business with the old man." Nothing more, nothing less. Serenity was a little surprised at the curt response, but not the disrespect toward Yugi's grandfather. She expected nothing less from the pretentious Seto Kaiba. His sharp sapphire eyes focused on her. "How are you feeling?"

She thought about it for a moment, then offered the most honest response she could, "I don't know. I think I'm fine, but I still seem to be tired."

"It was a rough night," Kaiba agreed absently, "Out of curiosity, where were you headed?"

"Home." If he felt she deserved terse replies, she would respond in kind.

As if he had read her mind, the older teen's eyebrow raised in both amusement and approval. "You were going to walk there?" The girl nodded. "In your current condition?" She nodded again, confusion flooding her face. "Serenity, you were running a high fever last night. You wouldn't have made it down the front steps, let alone home." Her eyes widened. He couldn't be right! She couldn't be that sick! "Actually, I'm impressed you made it all the way down here without hurting yourself. If only your brother had your stamina..." He let the insult trail off.

"Yeah, well...," she fought for some kind of witty comeback. Joey had always been the source of her own fire, her own determination to fight, to overcome. Desperately, she tried to find a way to express that to Kaiba. Words failed her quickly, though, as the room suddenly tilted at strange angles.

"You're obviously still feverish. Let me walk you back up to your room." If she'd had the strength to twist her arm out of his hand, she would have. The condescension in the young president's voice infuriated her. With little choice, she surrendered to his guidance as his slender hand gripped her arm with an unexpectedly gentle strength.

* * *

The next day, Serenity was absent from school. Mokuba had taken one look at the unusually pale girl that morning and decided they couldn't let her out of bed. Resting the back of his cool hand on her forehead, Seto quickly had to agree. Her fever had returned, no doubt due to her walk around the mansion the day before. On his way in to the school, Kaiba informed the office that Serenity Wheeler was sick at home.

The geek squad surrounded him almost immediately after he took his seat in his homeroom class. "Where's my sister, Kaiba? What have you done to her?" Joey looked like he was more than ready to deck the billionaire.

"Now, now, Wheeler. Is that any way to talk to someone who has taken care of your sister while she's sick?" The upperclassman enjoyed the look of dismay in the blond's eyes.

"Serenity's sick! What...when...how?" The older Wheeler completely flustered, feeling guilty that he hadn't realized his sister was becoming ill. He hated the thought that she needed care and he wasn't in a position to give it to her. At least, for now, it was more than sufficient to fuel his anger at KaibaCorp's arrogant president.

Trying to rescue his best friend before he managed to say something stupid, Yugi stepped in, "Where is she now, Kaiba?"

"If she's where she was when I last saw her, then she's sleeping in a guest room in my mansion," Joey seemed to flinch at this. "Mokuba was worried about her health." Somehow, pinning all of the concern on his brother made it a little easier for him to pretend that he hadn't taken her home to begin with purely out of an unexpected fascination with the auburn-haired Wheeler.

Joey took a deep breath, trying to force himself to be calm, "I'll come get her after school."

Kaiba calmly responded, "I'll send her home when I'm ready." The resulting explosion brought a satisfied smile to the CEO's face. Hosting Serenity Wheeler in the mansion might just provide more amusement than any torment he could have leveraged against the fiery girl.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer:  
From here on out, just use the one on the first chapter. I'm not wasting the real estate on something I feel is completely obvious in subsequent chapters.

Author's Notes:  
So I was sitting there watching _One Piece_ and working on Chapter 8. I knew the chapter needed some work and more words. It ended up being shorter than I like my chapters to be, though, because it quickly became obvious that I had started writing Chapter 9. No cool train rides this time, but I definitely wasn't myself while I was writing. A historically bad day combined with more EverClear than anyone my size should be able to drink and remain coherent. (Don't worry. I'm old enough to be drinking legally, and even know better than to drink alone after a day like this one.)

What amazes me is that after nearly two months of struggling with this story, it's suddenly become very easy to write, even if I still have no idea where it's going. I apologize now for whatever length it may reach. If only my current fiction piece would come out this easily. It would make my world so much simpler.

* * *

Chapter 9

When Kaiba got home from school, he threw his briefcase in his office and quickly scanned his email. Seeing nothing that urgently needed his attention, he changed his school uniform for a nice shirt and slacks and made his way to the guest room. To his surprise, Serenity wasn't asleep. In fact, she wasn't even in the room. Mildly concerned, he continued on to the game room where he knew his cherished younger brother was likely hanging out.

As expected, the younger Kaiba was playing a video game, his grumbling at his mistakes punctuated by a bright, girlish laugh. _So, this is where she is._ He thought briefly about chatising Mokuba for playing his game and Serenity for being out of bed, but instead he quietly seated himself in a chair behind them and watched for a bit. Mokuba was either not particualrly good at this particular game, or he was playing poorly because he was enjoying his companion's response. Serenity would offer advice, ask questions, hide her eyes, or laugh as Mokuba directed his character through a series of misforutnes.

He didn't know how long he sat there watching them before his mind started wandering through his day. Aside from having to actively keep his path from crossing Joey Wheeler's, the day had been fairly routine. News made it through the small high school quickly that the younger Wheeler was currently a guest in the Kaiba mansion, which left the upperclassman having to deal with questions and sad looks from the younger girls. For the most part, he ignored them. Game shop owner and fellow student Duke Devlin managed to get under his skin, making untoward comments about Serenity's stay. Kaiba had been fairly proud of himself for not losing his cool as he calmly pointed out that Devlin sounded jealous. The teen slunk away and left the brooding businessman alone the rest of the day.

Realizing just how annoying he had found the day, he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Seto, what's wrong?" Mokuba had finally noticed his older brother's presence, just in time to hear an all-too-familiar sigh escape his brother's lips. Usually, it was a sound Mokuba only heard when his brother was dealing with one of Yugi Moto's friends. To hear it without anything else going on confused the boy.

Kaiba looked up and realized he now had the attention of the two people he was trying not to disturb. As his eyes scanned toward his brother to respond, he noticed Serenity looking at him, soft brown eyes radiating concern. The voice in his head that often controlled his vocal cords thought the girl pathetic for wasting her worry on someone who didn't need it. Another voice responded: _Maybe that's not so bad, all things considered._ His eyes rested on his brother's steel gray eyes, showing the same fear as Serenity Wheeler's.

"I'm fine, Mokuba. I just had a long day at school."

"Oh," the younger Kaiba responded. More often than not, he never bought his brother's simplest explanations, but he knew better than to push. When Kaiba offered no further explanation, the darker-haired boy decided to change the subject. "Look, Seto! Serenity is feeling better!"

The girl shrank as she realized she was being surveyed head to toe by the CEO. After an long moment, Kaiba spoke, "Indeed_." That's it? _she thought. She'd really hoped that he'd tired of her presence, the way he tired of everybody but his beloved younger brother, and that he'd send her home.

Luck wasn't on her side. The brunette sat there a moment longer, lost in thought. He took one more look over his brother and the auburn-haired girl before walking out of the game room.

"Where are you going?" Mokuba called after him.

"To get some work done."

Serenity watched him depart, her heart sinking. Yet another opportunity to go home passed.

* * *

Dinner would have been a quiet affair if Mokuba hadn't decided to create conversation. When the older teens failed to respond to him, he started carrying on a one-sided conversation. Serenity could see that it was wearing on Kaiba. "Mokuba, I can't see how you've managed to eat anything." Kaiba shot her a nearly grateful look, as close to one as he could muster, as the boy took the hint and played with the vegetables on his plate. Serenity found herself blushing at the interaction.

After dinner, KaibaCorp's president set Mokuba to do his homework and then buried himself in his office to get work done of his own. Serenity wasn't given a second thought as the brothers settled into their nightly routine. She tried to wander the mansion again. but discovered to her dismay that she tired quickly, still not feeling well. Wanting her brother and her own warm bed, she decided she had to figure out how to get home.

The straightforward response seemed the most simple. She had a servant show her to Kaiba's office, and then paced for a couple of minutes as she tried to gather her courage. Finally realizing she wasn't going to get anywhere if she continued to be afraid, she knocked lightly on the door. There was no response. She knocked again, a little harder. Again, no response. Taking a deep breath, she opened one of the doors as quietly as she could. The teen was sitting behind his desk, chin resting on his hands as he stared at the screen on his laptop. The light emanating from the computer only showed how exhausted Kaiba was.

For a moment, the scene before her made her forget why she had walked into the office initially. She wanted to walk to the desk, pull him away from his computer, and force him to get some sleep. As she closed the door behind her, the spell was broken, "What are you doing in here?" Serenity had to force herself not to jump at the unexpected sound of his voice.

She also realized she didn't want to just blurt out her reason for breaking into his office. "Oh...I was just wondering if you happened to know whether or not I have any homework tonight."

"You came up here because you're worried about homework?" She nodded. Kaiba let out a low chuckle. "You must think me as stupid as your mutt brother." The girl bristled at the comment. "You came up here to try to convince me that you're well enough to go home."

Serenity's eyes went wide. A moment later, she realized that he would understand her attempting to get home again. She just couldn't figure out why he wouldn't let her go. Slowly, she nodded.

He smiled at her discomfort. "You're probably going to be here for a few days," he waved a paper on his desk, "Apparently, you have a virus, and shouldn't be going anywhere for a bit."

"How...?" Her delicate features twisted into a lovely shade of confusion.

"I instructed the staff to have you checked out this morning. You must have been asleep when it happened." Serenity's skin crawled. Kaiba had ordered a stranger to handle her, to inspect her closely. She wanted to yell at the corporate executive, but she couldn't find the energy.

"I want to go home," was all she could manage.

"I'm better equipped to make sure you get well," he replied_. Great, Seto. Make this girl sound like a business deal_, he chastised himself. He looked at her, and noticed that she seemed unusually pale, even in the dim lighting of the office. "Look, do us both a favor and go get some sleep." The language had been casual, but it had been delivered as an order.

She wanted to argue, but found that his suggestion made more sense than not. Grudgingly, not really wanting to follow an order from the powerful Seto Kaiba, Serenity returned to the room she had been assigned. She was asleep before her head hit the pillow.


	10. Chapter 10

Author's Notes:  
I'm dead tired. I've just finished ediitng Chapter 8 and writing Chapter 9. For whatever reason, though, this story wants to be written. I may hold onto this and not post it for a couple of weeks, just because I'm enjoying the regular posting schedule. (Update: I have been sitting on this for two weeks!)

There's a page in my planner that's becoming filled with tiny, almost indecipherable notes and post-it notes regarding this story. It's pretty funny. Somehow, everything is coalescing into this interesting little writing exercise. As long as everyone is still enjoying it, it's fine...I guess...I hope..

It's occurring to me as I write this chapter (I'm rereading Chapters 8 and 9 as I write) that this story seems to have become a series of vignettes. Does it feel that way to anybody else? Is it just me?

On another note, does anyone else listen to the song "Photograph" and think it just really fits _Yu-Gi-Oh_ somehow? I do. For many reasons. Then again, I'm crazy. We've already established this.

* * *

Chapter 10

Again, Kaiba kept Serenity from going to school. This time, it was as much doctor's orders as it was that he didn't want Mokuba to spend all day worrying about her. This time, Joey was in his face as soon as he entered the classroom. His thoughts focused on the small, auburn-haired girl he'd left sound asleep in his mansion, he walked right past the older Wheeler without acknowledging his existence.

Joey didn't take well to being blown off. "Don't walk away from me, Kaiba! Serenity didn't come home yesterday." When the brooding teen failed to respond, Joey pleaded. "Just...," he faltered, "please...at least tell me she's still with you and not out lost somewhere."

The upperclassman turned slowly. He'd heard Joey's last statement, and something in it just struck him. For as much as he hated the guy, they did have one thing in common. They were both older brothers. In Joey's voice Kaiba could hear concern, a concern for the younger sibling the blond hadn't been able to watch over for so long. He gave the guy a long, appraising gaze, and then nodded. Relief flooded Joey's face, and then he turned bright red again.

"So, when are you planning to send her home? When you're tired of her? Kaiba, if you hurt my sister, I'll-"

"You'll what, Wheeler? Challenge me to a duel that you'll lose." The blond scowled at the insult. "Or perhaps you'll ask Yugi to duel me. Is that what you want? A duel over your baby sister?" Joey deflated into the nearest seat. Serenity would kill him if she thought he was dueling over her. "As I told you yesterday, Serenity is sick. She's staying with us until she's well enough to travel."

"Can I see her?" Kaiba's politeness was grating on the teen.

The brunette snorted. "I don't really care what you do, Wheeler. If it'll ease your mind to make sure I haven't done anything to her, then by all means visit. Just don't disturb me when you do." He watched Joey carefully for a reaction. The boy looked surprised, and then somewhat relieved. _Not surprising_, Kaiba thought. _Wild horses couldn't keep me from Mokuba if I thought he was in trouble._

Still wearing a stunned expression, Joey made his way to his seat as the first bell rang. Kaiba was being nice in taking care of Serenity. Now he invited Joey to come check on her. The blond couldn't help but feel something was wrong, but he hoped he was just being overprotective.

* * *

Kaiba went straight from school to his office at KaibaCorp to deal with paperwork he didn't feel like bringing home. By the time he was finished, he realized how late it was. _Mokuba and Sernity have probably eaten dinner by now. One of them might even be asleep._ He stared out the window, seeing nothing before him but the pale girl curled up in her bed that morning. _The sooner I get home, the sooner I'll know she's all right._

He hopped into the limo, wondering why he even cared. A small tug at his heart answered the question. He was worried because Serenity Wheeler had caught his attention. He was slowly starting to care about her well-being almost as much as he cared about Mokuba's, and it frightened him.

When he walked into the mansion, he heard laughter coming from the game room. Loud, obnoxious laughter. _Great...Wheeler's here._ He decided to change before joining the three people he knew were in the game room. By the time he was headed into the room, he could hear Serenity laughing as her brother unleashed a slew of expletives at the game he was playing with Mokuba. For just a moment, he stood at the doorway to take in the scene. Mokuba and Joey were sitting in front of the television playing some sort of fighting game. Serenity was sitting on the couch behind them, wrapped in a blanket. She was the first to notice him.

"Welcome home!" Her cheerful greeting caused the two boys to face him as well.

"Seto, you're home!" Mokuba's smile warmed his heart, even if he understood its source. "Joey came over to check on Serenity and I invited him to hang out. I hope that's okay." The gray eyes quickly found their way into a look that so clearly begged Kaiba not to be angry with him.

_Of course, it's not okay. That mutt is sitting in my house,_ Kaiba thought bitterly. There wasn't much he could do about it, though. He had invited Joey to come over. As long as Serenity was in the house, he knew he'd have to tolerate her rough-around-the-edges brother. He looked at her, sitting on the couch. Her face was lit by a smile stretching from ear to ear. He'd heard rumors that the Wheeler siblings were close, and there was no doubt in his mind that her demeanor was a direct result of her brother's proximity.

He didn't want to put up with Joey any longer than he had to, but he couldn't cope with the feelings of selfishness creeping into his heart. He wanted to throw out the older Wheeler without losing the younger Wheeler. But she looked so happy. He didn't want that smile to leave her face; she was so much prettier when she smiled. Wait...prettier? Had he really just thought that?

Mokuba and Joey had returned to their game, a fact that became evident when Joey yelled at the game again. He was already on Kaiba's last nerve. "Don't you have a curfew, Wheeler?"

"Huh?" Joey looked about the room for a clock. "Oh, I guess it's later than I thought." He stood up, getting ready to leave.

"And take your sister with you." Both Wheelers looked at him in shock.

"Heh, so you did tire of her! Kaiba, you're a real jerk, you know that?"

"Nonsense," Kaiba responded coolly. "It just makes sense to let her go home with you. She would never have made it there on her own." He sneered, casing Serenity's blood to run cold. Joey opened his mouth, but his sister stopped him.

Serenity, not believing her luck, pulled at her brother's arm, "Come on, Joey. Let's just go!" She ran up to the guest room, grabbed her purse, and met her brother in the foyer.

The two were soon on their way home. Joey was talking nonstop about various things as Serenity stared quietly out the window, grateful to be away from Seto Kaiba. As they reached their apartment, Joey finally allowed himself to ask the questions he'd been afraid to ask. "Are you all right, sis? Kaiba didn't do anything to you?"

The girl, shocked out of her reverie, shook her head. "I'm fine, Joey. Nothing happened." Her brother nodded, a bit relieved. Kaiba had told him as much, but he never trusted the guy. Hearing it from his sister herself made him feel much better.

Walking into the home she hadn't seen in two days, Serenity hung her coat up and removed her shoes, and then made her way to her bedroom, where she collapsed onto her bed and into a deep sleep.

* * *

Mokuba was put to bed not long after the Wheelers left. Kaiba sat down in his chair and spun around to look out the window. In the reflection, he could see the couch he'd laid Serenity on the night he'd brought her home. Its reflected image looked cold, empty. Much like how he felt. No one was allowed to affect him this way, so why was Wheeler's sister, of all people, making him so aware of how alone he felt.

He finally left the office and out of habit went to peek in the guest room on his way to his own room. Of course, the room was vacant. Kaiba made his way to his room and got ready for bed, trying to ignore the dull ache in his heart.


	11. Chapter 11

Author's Notes:

I'm on a roll. It will be weeks before you guys see this chapter, but here I sit writing it anyway! I technically should be writing and revising _The King's Dilemma_ over on my FictionPress account, but instead, I'm sitting here torturing Seto Kaiba. I think I'm suffering from _Yu-Gi-Oh_ withdrawals. Good thing the current season starts back up on Saturday! (Not like I don't have some 20-30 episodes of it scattered around my room! I like to think of my collection of every single translated _Yu-Gi-Oh_ DVD and manga as "research material".) _Sadness of all sadness. The WB lied. I was left Yu-Gi-Oh-less. It was quite sad._

For anyone who might be interested, I have, as of this writing, roughly forty episode extenders written for _Yu-Gi-Oh GX_. If you're interested in reading those, just drop me a review or a message or something. If there's sufficient interest, I'll start typing them up and uploading them. I basically took each episode and treated it as a writing prompt, creating a 250-word scene to follow or reaction (or in the case of multi-part episodes, Jaden talking to himself). If I type them up, I'll likely edit them and add a bit to finish out the ones where I ran out of word count (and pages. I have a page limit that's more the definition of the limit than 250 words is.) Again, if you're interested, let me know.

* * *

Chapter 11

Kaiba was dismayed the next morning to see Serenity walking in to school with her brother and Yugi Moto. He knew she wasn't well enough to be up and about, but the strong-willed girl had probably convinced her brother to let her come to school anyway. _So be it_, he decided. _If she makes herself more sick, she's not my problem._

Trying to convince himself he honestly didn't care what happened to Serenity Wheeler, he changed his path twice during the day to walk past her locker when he knew she'd be there, just to make sure she was still all right. Her skin was still fairly pale, a fine porcelain against her auburn hair. He stopped and stared at her for just a moment as he passed her during the afternoon. She realized fairly quickly that he was looking at her, and quickly slammed her locker shut, nearly running toward her next class. Wearing a mask of indifference to cover the small sting he felt as she turned away from him, he continued on to his next class.

He picked up Mokuba after school and headed to the coffee shop, afraid he'd find his favorite barista trying to work through her illness. Sure enough, Serenity was behind the bar, her long hair twirled up into a bun, just as it had been the night he took her home. Her cheeks were slightly flushed...again. Letting Mokuba order their drinks, he walked over. "Don't make yourself even more sick."

If Serenity had been working with any of the hot liquids around the bar, she'd have been scalded as she jumped. "Kaiba! What are you doing here?"

"My brother likes the way they make his cocoa here," he replied pointedly. Serenity blushed. She was the one who has started making Mokuba's hot chocolate with extra sprinkles guaranteed to make him difficult for his controlling older brother to handle. "The more important question is: what are you doing here?"

"I had to work today, and I had already missed a couple of days."

"You really are just like your brother. No sense at all."

"I have plenty of sense, Kaiba, but I also promised myself that Joey wouldn't have to be responsible for me," the girl spat at him. He couldn't believe how calm her voice sounded as she all but yelled at him. It was just one more thing to add to the list of what made the mutt's sister worth watching.

He watched as she started his brother's drink. Like the other night, her hands moved deftly as she created the drink, but this time her movements didn't have the elegant efficiency to them. She was still sick, and it was wearing on her. Mokuba walked over with a cup of coffee and the girl finished the cocoa and set it in front of the brothers. Kaiba took one look at her and walked over to the register where the supervisor was straightening the counter. Junko froze for a moment as the CEO spoke quietly to her, but then nodded and started pouring a cup of tea.

Kaiba returned to the bar where Serenity was wiping everything down in preparation for the next order. He watched her for a moment, giving the older woman time to finish preparing the drink he had just ordered. Then he watched with some satisfaction as she walked over to deliver it.

Junko, looking nervously at the teen on the other side of the bar, handed the cup of tea to Serenity, "Here, dear. Why don't you go take a break? No need to overexert yourself your first day back."

Serenity looked at her in surprise and took the mug slowly. The aroma wafting up through the steam let her know the mug contained her favorite tea. She stared at it for a long moment and then nodded, realizing she felt more tired than she was willing to show in front of Kaiba. To her greater surprise, no sooner had she nodded than Kaiba subtly ordered her to sit with Mokuba and him.

Uncertainly, she followed her schoolmate to the table where Mokuba was already enjoying his drink, "Serenity, you make the best cocoas!" The girl blushed at the compliment as she took a seat beside the raven-haired boy.

Kaiba seated himself across from her. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine," she replied shortly. It was her least favorite question, and fielding it from him just annoyed her further. His face clearly showed how much her small lie bothered him. She sank in her chair and quietly sipped her tea.

"You're coming with us," he said after watching her for a moment, hoping she'd give him a more truthful response. Her brown eyes widened for a moment, though nowhere near as much as Mokuba's gray eyes did.

"Really?" they both asked. Serenity's voice held the hint of a challenge; Mokuba's was more pleased. He had been thrilled to have Serenity in the house.

The teen nodded. "Your supervisor agrees that you still don't look well, so you're coming home with us."

"Wait! You mean right now?"

"When we're done here, yes." Serenity's eyes flew back and forth between Junko working behind the counter and Kaiba smiling smugly across from her. "What will it take to convince you that this is for your own good?"

"Staying out of my business!" she responded flatly.

True to his word, once the three had finished their drinks, he escorted both his brother and Serenity to the waiting limo, which promptly carried them to the Kaiba mansion.

* * *

Serenity couldn't figure out how she kept ending up in Kaiba's home. After setting her jacket and purse in the guest room, she found her way to the game room. Mokuba was predictably playing a video game. Kaiba was stretched out on the couch reading some sort of document. She couldn't help but glare.

"What are you doing?" she asked as she approached the couch.

His cerulean eyes never left the stack of papers in his hand. "Spending time with Mokie."

"I'm sure he'd prefer it if you actually spent time with him instead of just sitting in the same room while doing work."

"We have our way, Serenity." She huffed at that. He looked up at her for a moment and then invited her to sit on the couch with him. "You look tired. You should rest." She sat slowly beside him, noticing he hadn't really moved to give her room. Unexpectedly, he reached out and pulled her over to lean against him. "You'd probably be more comfortable lying down," he whispered. She shuddered, unsure if it was because of her proximity to Kaiba, or because of the sheer comfort of the warmth radiating from the icy corporate president.

Before she realized what was happening, she was lulled to sleep by the surprisingly comforting presence of Seto Kaiba.


	12. Chapter 12

Author's Notes:

This chapter was started on the way to work. I was late leaving for work trying to wrap up Chapter 11, and the story was still screaming to get out. It was three hours before I got to set down the first hundred or so words while waiting for an algebra student to arrive. The end of the chapter involved me hunting down torrents of a wide variety of episodes, trying to get help with Duke (a character I've never really bothered to notice simply because I never liked him). It was quite the experience, but research material is your friend!

On the up side, this chapter was actually how this whole fan fiction got started. Sad that it took me twelve chapters to get here, but honestly, I couldn't see Kaiba and Serenity getting together easily. Can't see them staying together easily either, but seeing as both are the type to fight to make something they care about work... They say the heart has no reason. innocent grin

Honestly, Kaiba and Serenity are an interesting idea, on so many levels. The character analysis I performed as I was starting the story proved that. There is so much they can comiserate over, and from there build a shaky friendship that could possibly lead into some sort of entanglement. I don't know that it would last unless they both decided to fight to make it work, but it would actually be plausible...so long as Serenity didn't mind dating a guy she couldn't bring home to Joey.

* * *

Chapter 12

For the third time in as many days, Serenity Wheeler woke up in unfamiliar surroundings. She found herself comfortably reclined against something warm. Her memory failed her as she tried to remember where she fell asleep. Slowly, her eyes opened to slits, hoping a visual cue would jog her memory.

The room was filled with a warmer light than Kaiba's office, but was still dimly lit, leading her to believe she was somewhere in the mansion. Hoping for a more specific answer to her question, she tried to sit up. As she started to move, a hand firmly yet gently pulled her back against the warmth. A familiar, and even expected, voice spoke, "Go back to sleep."

It was spoken softly, almost as if to be subliminal. She wondered how often that voice had soothed Mokuba Kaiba back to sleep. As much as she hated to admit it, she wanted to follow the voice's advice and drift off to sleep again. Somewhere in the haze of awakening, it occurred to her that Kaiba had spoken quite quietly, and that he had kept her reclining by pulling, not pushing her. It was enough to jolt her awake. Somehow, she had fallen asleep beside Seto Kaiba. The thought made her nervous.

When her nerves quieted enough for her to start making sense of the scene around her, she realized that Kaiba was sitting behind her, his legs on each side of her. He was reading over a contract that he held just above her waist. Her head rested against his chest as she lay on her side against him. It was completely comforting, and almost amusing, but she was still terrified. As she started trying to look beyond his arms, she realized they were still on the couch in game room. Only then did she vaguely recall his invitation to join him on the couch, and his pulling her to lean against him. She hadn't been able to find the energy to stop him.

In the back of her mind, a little voice pointed out that waking up in the Kaiba mansion was starting to become routine.

Serenity tried to sit up again, and this time he let her, shifting the contract to one hand to allow her to move past him. He watched her quietly as she looked around the room. Finally, her eyes settled on him as she turned. "What time is it?"

Surprised by the question, he responded, "It's maybe two a.m."

"Why are you still up?" He waved the contract. "You need to sleep, Seto."

The corners of his lips turned up slightly in amusement. He realized that she was half-asleep and probably had no idea what she had just said. Deciding to file it away for later torments, he retorted, "So do you. That's why I told you to go back to sleep."

Serenity looked around the room again. "If it's all the same to you, I think I'll go upstairs."

He nodded and set the contract on the table at the end of the couch. "I'll walk you to your room."

"I can find it myself!" Even half-asleep, her fiery nature was formidable. It made her vulnerably adorable. Much like Mokuba, actually. He stood, and took her hand to pull her from the couch. She tried to pull away, but he tightened his grip slightly. Resigned, she allowed the teen to lead her through the mansion to the guest room.

* * *

Serenity was tucked into bed, and Kaiba returned to the game room to retrieve the contract. Truth be told, he hadn't read a word of it in the hour prior to the girl waking up. Comfortable, warm, enjoying the feeling of the redhead's small form curled up against him, he had actually dozed off. The only thing that might have made the evening more enjoyable was if she actually wanted to be around him, or if she trusted him. The first was simple to fix, but Seto Kaiba, usurper of his stepfather's corporation, understood exactly how tricky a creature trust was.

He wanted Serenity to trust him, though. He wanted another night like this one, her snuggled against him, sleeping peacefully, while he tried to finish his work. It had been peaceful, relaxing, soothing. He didn't get many moments like that. In fact, he wasn't sure when the last time was he'd had a moment like that. He returned the contract to his office, and then checked to make sure Mokuba was still sleeping. His nightly routine.

Safely in his room, he changed into his pajamas and laid down in his bed. Sleep was long in claiming him as he felt acutely aware of how much colder than the couch the bed was.

* * *

He knew as they got out of the limo at Domino High the next morning that he wouldn't be enjoying any more of her company for a bit. She walked away from him quickly, finding Tea just outside the school. He considered trying to pass her in the halls occassionally, but decided that he was starting to sound like a man with an addiction problem.

Seto Kaiba was not one for being lost so easily to addictions.

Deciding he didn't need Serenity any more than she needed him, Kaiba continued on through his day, a plan that worked well until he got to lunch. He took his normal seat away from most of the school. Generally, he was able to sit here alone and do paperwork, but today his work time was interrupted.

":Hey, Kaiba." Green-eyed gamer Duke Devlin seated himself across from the CEO. "How's it going?" A pair of guarded blue eyes glared at him over the top of the polished silver laptop. It wasn't enough to deter the arrogant game developer. "I hear you've bagged Wheeler's kid sister."

An eyebrow arched. Of all the things that had crossed his mind to do to Serenity Wheeler, "bagging" her hadn't made it on the list. "I think you're misinformed," the teen replied coolly.

"Really? Because Serenity is bragging about it to everybody." Kaiba suppressed the need to smash Duke. There was absolutely no way he would believe that she would ever tell such a lie. Duke watched Kaiba's inner turmoil with some degree of satisfaction. He had exactly what he wanted, or so he believed. Convinced that he'd just delivered the blow that would make KaibaCorp's president stay away from Serenity, he smiled and picked up his tray. "Well, see you around."

As Duke walked away, Kaiba growled quietly and drummed his fingers on the table beside his computer. His eyes scanned the lunch room for the spirited girl, quickly finding her sitting among the geek squad. Even across the room, he could see her eyes sparkle as she laughed at something.

He sighed deeply, _There's just no way. Devlin's tried this tactic before. Serenity's too innocent, too sweet. Besides, she'd never brag about anything that could possibly drive her brother into a rage. She hates it when he makes a fuss over her._ His eyes lingered over her a bit longer, looking for any sign that he had misjudged the younger Wheeler. Unable to find one, he slammed his laptop closed and stormed out of the lunch room. _Anything is possible. After all, she is the mutt's sister._

* * *

For those of you who know how I write, the only reason I could hear Marc Thompson's voice as I was working is because I had the Dungeon Dice episodes on behind me. So...Duke isn't right. Sorry. :(

I'd also like to apologize for the delaed posting. FanFiction wasn't letting me post at all yesterday or this morning. It seems I'm also having trouble getting reviews. If you don't receive a response, that means I didn't receive your review. Thank you for your patience


	13. Chapter 13

Author's Note:  
Why is that my writing schedule and my work schedule want to co-exist? I'll have my word processing program open most of the day, occasionally plinking at writing or editing projects, and then an hour before I have to leave for work, I suddenly am seized with a need to write. I kid you not. I need to be getting dressed for work. Instead, I'm sitting here trying desperately to get a scene out of my head and onto my hard drive. It's crazy.

It's insane how many chapters of this particular fan fic have come out that way. This chapter, for example, was left with a little bit of the scene to finish out. If you ever see a weird jump in one of my chapters, you now can say you know what happened!

Also, it's been a while since I have said this, but I really do want to thank those who have read and reviewed this story. You have no idea how much your feedback has meant to me in developing this story! I was pretty scared when I started because this is an unfamiliar pairing for me, one I don't support normally. I knew it was going to be a challenge from the start, and you guys have just been incredibly supportive. Thank you so much!

* * *

Chapter 13

He stared at the cell phone before slamming it into his pocket. There was just no way he was going to allow Duke Devlin to get under his skin. She wouldn't. She couldn't. He was positive she was incapable of saying anything of the sort.

If there was one thing Seto Kaiba prided himself on, it was being an excellent judge of character.

He'd been wrong before, though, and that was enough to make him doubt. Slowly, he drew out the cell phone and punched in the number he had coerced from the school's rather simple-minded secretary.

A male voice responded, "Hello?"

Kaiba nearly stuttered. He was so distracted that he'd managed to momentarily forget that Serenity lived with her brother. As Joey repeated his greeting, Kaiba seriously considered hanging up.

_No_, he decided, _I don't want this hanging between us._ "May I speak with Serenity Wheeler?"

Joey nearly dropped the phone. If he didn't know better, he'd swear the voice on the other end of the line sounded like Seto Kaiba. Deciding his mind was playing tricks on him, he handed the phone to his sister and then plopped down beside her on the couch. Serenity glared for the briefest moment at the lack of privacy, and then lifted the phone to her cheek, "Hello?"

"We need to talk."

The bluntness surprised her, but she quickly regained her composure. "How did you get my phone number?" As the tone of his sister's voice confirmed his suspicions, Joey snarled and stomped into the kitchen. He'd be asking Serenity for the answer to that question as soon as she was off the phone. The younger Wheeler ignored her brother's huff as she tried to focus on the conversation.

"What did you tell Duke Devlin?"

"Hmm?" _Duke? _"What do you mean?" Her genuine confusion came through the phone clearly.

Kaiba paused. He knew he was right about her. If she were like other girls, he'd have never noticed her as anything but an inconvenience. He struggled now to find words to bridge the gap he knew he was creating. "Forget I said anything." _Yes, because she is going to buy that_, he thought angrily to himself.

"Wait." His heart missed several beats as he waited. "What do you think I said to Duke?"

"Nothing." He sighed. "Sorry I brought it up."

Serenity wasn't about to let it drop. "No. If someone is saying I said something, then I deserve to know what's being said!" She was nearly yelling into the phone, which for her amounted to a voice nearly at a person's normal speaking volume. At the sound of his sister's voice, Joey ran back into the room and just stared, trying to make sure his baby sister was all right. In the back of his mind, he felt sorry for Kaiba. Serenity didn't lose her temper often, but the person on the receiving end rarely survived.

"Fine," Kaiba growled. "He told me you've been saying we slept together."

Serenity dropped the phone.

As she stood there in shock, Joey dove for the phone. He could hear the upperclassman, but Kaiba's single-word question was lost as the hot-headed blond got control of the phone.

"Kaiba! What did you say to my sister?"

There was a pause on the other end of the line. If Joey had the phone, it could only mean that Serenity didn't want to talk to him. He had no intention of complying with her wishes. "Give the phone back to your sister, mutt."

"No! Not until you tell me what you said to her."

A low chuckle came through the line, "You Wheelers are certainly a persistent lot, aren't you?" Joey started to get angry, but quickly realized Kaiba was just trying to needle him into either a change of subject or into handing the phone back to Serenity.

The girl was now staring at the phone. "It's a joke," she said simply. "It has to be." Joey just stared at her, dumbfounded.

Through the phone, Kaiba could almost make out what she was saying. He'd handled the phone call wrong. He'd handled _her_ wrong, and he knew he was about to pay for it. "Wheeler, get your sister back on the phone."

Joey knew his response as he watched his sister repeat the same two sentences over and over. "Hell, no! Stay away from my sister, you jerk!" With that, he hung up the phone and wrapped Serenity in a protective, brotherly hug. "It's okay, sis. I'm here." The redhead's shock soon wore to tears, and Joey did the only thing he could do. He let his sister cry on his shoulder as he gently stroked her hair and whispered comforting words.

* * *

The next day at school, Kaiba knew he had to find Serenity to make sure she was all right. It occurred to him that he had spent a lot of his time over the past week trying to check on Serenity Wheeler, someone who didn't want him around and really didn't need to be looked after.

Every time he checked her locker, she was nowhere in sight. He was starting to wonder if she'd even come to school at all when he arrived at gym class and found her talking to Yugi. _Great_, he thought as he watched them. She seemed a bit...agitated. Was that even the right word? She clearly wasn't happy, and Yugi was being himself, patiently listening to the redhead.

It made Kaiba's blood boil. Pushing aside the thought that he might actually be jealous of how easily she spoke with Yugi, he watched them for a moment more before continuing across the gym. He took his place along the wall and waited for the small duelist to move away from Serenity, but class started before Yugi gave him that opening.

As it turned out, Serenity wasn't by herself until after the class had ended, and he wasted no time in making his way over to her. She jumped as he fell in step with her, but quickly tried to cover her shock. "Hello, Kaiba."

Her eyes locked on the ground in front of her, and he couldn't help but notice she had quickened her pace. She was still upset about last night. The voice in his head that often came out of his mouth said, _Yeah? Well, she can just get over it._ He managed to push the voice aside. "Look, I'm sorry about last night."

She stopped and stared at him. "What do you mean?" If Kaiba was apologizing for last night, then she knew it wasn't a prank call. It had really been Kaiba. Her heart sank. He had been acting almost human over the past few days. She'd almost been falling for his act. Now, she stood, staring at KaibaCorp's CEO doubtfully, positive she didn't want to hear anything he had to say.

It took all of Kaiba's self-control not to start stuttering like an idiot as he fumbled through his apology. "The phone call? I'm sorry. I knew Devlin was just trying to push my buttons."

"Looks like he succeeded," Serenity replied coolly as she resumed her walk toward the locker rooms.

This was more like the girl that had intrigued him days ago. He couldn't help but be impressed at how easily she dismissed him. Lengthening his stride in a vain attempt to catch up with her, he called out, "How can I make this up to you?"

Again, Serenity stopped and turned. She couldn't have heard him right...could she? After a long moment, she finally responded, "You can leave me alone." With that, she spun on her heel and stormed into the girls' locker room.

Frustrated, Kaiba slumped against the nearest wall. His graceful form looked somewhat defeated with his shoulders slumped slightly. He wasn't used to having to fight for someone's attention, and fighting for any sort of pleasant acknowledgement out of the more enchanting member of the Wheeler family was slowly draining him.

* * *

I can't quite decide if I just stumbled well into the realm of OOC-ness here. I've read over this chapter countless times, and I can hear all the voices. There's just something...I can't explain it, except that it centers around Kaiba. Maybe you guys can tell me if I'm crazy or if you see it, too. 


	14. Chapter 14

Author's Notes:  
This may come as a bit of a shock, but this chapter was written three days ago...as opposed to three weeks ago. There's a chance I'm actually out of touch with this story now. Guess we'll see.

I think I'm going just a bit crazy. Between becoming the sudden go-to girl for far too much at work, trying to pick a grad school to apply to, and trying to finally put together a sort of resume for my website, I'm finding myself fighting off stress-related illnesses and injuries. Send hugs and plushies! Heh!

You may also notice that I'm posting this on Saturday night instead of Sunday morning. I've decided to not post on Sundays any more. Between network problems and account problems, it just seems safer not to post on Sundays.

(Edit: This is a repost. Chapter 15 will come next week. I haven't had time to focus on writing this week, and I just found the most delightful beta reader who helped whip this chapter into shape! Enjoy the new and improved Chapter 14!)

* * *

Chapter 14

Serenity casually twisted her long auburn locks into a loose French twist and shoved a pencil through it. Things were slowly going back to normal, and she wasn't sure if that was a good thing. Nearly a week had passed since she told Kaiba to leave her alone, and she hadn't seen him outside of gym class. He never acknowledged her presence. At first, she was grateful, but now she felt like a routine had been disrupted.

Humming lightly to herself, she wiped down the bar and went to prepare samples for the evening. She loved this time of day, the hours right after shcool. It was always dead, and she had plenty of time to work on various projects around the coffee shop. She told herself that she really just enjoyed being busy, but deep inside, she knew she was just avoiding thinking about Kaiba.

"Serenity, dear, why don't you take a break? The regulars will be coming in soon." It often amazed the woman that of all her employees, Serenity never asked for breaks. She always had to be needled into them.

"I'll take one as soon as I finish this," the redhead agreed. She put the last of the samples on a plate and set them out on the counter. Then, she started making herself a drink, a hot chocolate with extra sprinkles. She couldn't imagine why she had made it, not usually one for sweet drinks.

Except she knew exactly why she had made it. It was just one more routine that had been disrupted over the past few days. She debated a moment longer whether to drink the sweet, creamy concoction or to dump it out and make something closer to her normal tastes. With a heavy sigh, she decided to give the heavy drink a try. If Mokuba enjoyed it, then it couldn't be all bad, right?

She removed her apron and sat down at one of the tables. As she rolled the cup between her hands, she tried to convince herself that she made the cocoa because it was familiar. She refused to admit it had anything to do with the fact she was missing Kaiba.

"Is there something wrong, dear?" Junko asked gently.

"Hmm?" Serenity looked at her, surprised. The supervisor motioned toward the cup. It wasn't like Serenity to contemplate her drinks so much. The girl now looked at the cup, too. No...there was nothing wrong...just a desire to get her life back, to get both Kaibas out of it. She smiled softly at the older woman, "No, I'm just tired."

Junko didn't believe it for a moment. "If you say so. Since it's so quiet, feel free to take a longer break."

"I couldn't!" Serenity started, but Junko held up a hand. Realizing she wouldn't win the argument, Serenity settled back in the chair and took a large sip of cocoa.

It was a mistake, she realized quickly. _How can Mokuba drink this?_ The drink was very sweet and very dense. It took all of Serenity's will power not to spit it out. She pushed the cup to the other side of the table. No, she definitely would not be trying that again. With a sigh, she put her apron back on and set about to restocking the bar.

The night turned out to be a fairly slow one, leaving Serenity with far too much time to contemplate cocoa and Kaibas.

* * *

"Hey, Serenity, I was thinking about checking out that new action movie this weekend. Want to come?"

Serenity smiled, "I'd love to, Tristan. Thanks!" She'd never admit how much she enjoyed spending time with her brother's dark-haired friend. Tristan was a great friend- polite, protective, thoughtful. She thought back to when they first arrived in Battle City to watch Joey and Yugi duel. Tristan had done a great job taking care of her when she couldn't take care of herself.

Over the past few days, Tristan had been spending more time around her, although Serenity couldn't help but notice he only did it when Joey wasn't around. The two were great friends, but Joey had made it perfectly clear he didn't want the brunette anywhere near his little sister. Serenity had decided Joey was just being overprotective. Tristan was simply a friend, and she didn't need her older brother controlling her life.

Tristan smiled, "Great. We can figure out the details Friday." The girl just smiled and nodded. The rest of the conversation dwindled into idle chatter.

Several feet away, a pair of blue eyes darkened. The past couple of weeks had been rough on him, and he was gruffer than usual. He knew Tristan Taylor was friends with both of the Wheelers, but why in God's name did he have to ask out Serenity. Didn't he understand Serenity was out of his league?

An angry sigh escaped his lips as he turned his back on the friendly scene. Mokuba had begged him to try again to repair things with Serenity, but he just couldn't do it. He wasn't even sure he could look her in the eyes right now. Mokuba had tried to drag him to the coffee shop, but Kaiba responded by making it off-limits. As much as he wanted to see her, it was easier to pretend he hadn't fallen hard and fast for her if he didn't have to see her.

He turned to look at her one more time, but she was no longer where she had been sitting. She and Tristan were walking away; he was carrying her books.

If she had moved on, he would, too.

Then again, had there really been anything to move on from?

* * *

That evening, Mokuba Kaiba appeared in the coffee shop. Serenity felt her stomach tighten as she watched him make the way to the counter. He was never very far from his older brother, and she was still fairly certain she was in no mood to deal with Seto Kaiba.

Mokuba apparently was wise enough to understand why his friend looked so uncomfortable. He asked quietly for his cocoa, and thanked Serenity when she handed it to him. Then he seated himself at a table and sipped his drink. Somehow, this younger brother of the most powerful man in Japan's gaming industry looked smaller and more pathetic than just about anything Serenity had ever seen.

After much debate, she finally made herself a cup of peppermint tea and seated herself across from the raven-haired boy. He looked up at her, smiling in surprise before going back to his drink. They sat there in silence for several minutes.

It was Mokuba who finally spoke, "The mansion feels different without you around."

The girl stared at her tea, swirling the cup a couple of times. She had spent maybe three or four days at the Kaiba mansion. She couldn't imagine that she had in any way affected anything there. Lost for words, she just smiled graciously at the younger Kaiba.

"Seriously, Serenity! Seto was almost in a good mood, and I liked hanging out with you! You should come over again," the little boy seemed certain he could persuade the redhead to visit the manor.

She stared even deeper into her tea, wishing for some sort of response. "I'm sorry, Mokuba. I...," she faltered.

He jumped up from his chair and ran around to her side of the table, wrapping her in a big hug. "I'm sorry! I just... I just wanted to get to spend time with you again, but Seto's..." Serenity tensed involuntarily at the mention of the elder Kaiba's name. Quickly realizing he was doing more harm than good, Mokuba all but ran back to his seat.

Serenity sat in her chair for another long moment before her sadness forced her to abandon her mug and disappear into the back of the store.

When Mokuba left a few minutes later, he still hadn't seen her come out of the back room. It broke his heart. A week ago, he started to feel like the brother he'd known as a small child was returning to him. Now, he was sadly watching as the person he loved most slipped back into his old ways, snapping frequently and shutting out everyone.

It might take a while, but Mokuba was determined to see his brother happy, and he was certain his best chance for that was Serenity Wheeler.

* * *

"Where were you?"

Mokuba's heart fell. His brother's bad mood was steadily getting worse, and he knew that he had probably just blown any chance of fixing it soon. "I was visiting a friend," he responded vaguely.

He could tell from his brother's tone that the younger boy had been at a certain off-limits coffee shop. With a sigh, he stormed off toward his office to contemplate what damage Mokuba had done to whatever existed between himself and Serenity Wheeler.

* * *

Many thanks to **_GenericHero_** for being my hero! 


	15. Chapter 15

Author's Notes:

Thank you for being patient while I delayed the story. I took an unexpected five-week break in the middle of the story, and was feeling pretty lost. Thanks to the ever-wonderful **_GenericHero_**, I think I'm getting back on track!

It should be noted that I had one main plot point, and have been inspired by a few others. The rest of what you've seen has just come out on its own. I've come to love those unscripted moments. One of my favorites actually takes place in this chapter. I'm looking into a demo of this writing software that helps organize plot, but I'm afraid it will compel me to give up too much of the spontaneity that I think makes my stories enjoyable. We'll have to see. (I'm always looking at writing software to see if there are any I like better that RoughDraft, but RoughDraft really does seem to fit all my needs.)

I'm going to attempt to wrap up the story over the next few chapters. I honestly never meant this piece to get this long, and I thank everyone who has stuck with it all the way through. It really has meant so much to me!

Prepare for a little OOC Kaiba action!

* * *

Chapter 15

Kaiba had been driving around the same block for several minutes. He'd left home without a word to Mokuba. Two days of watching the friendly interactions between Serenity and Tristan had left him angry at his brother for trying to intervene. _As if any of this is Mokuba's fault._

Anger had combined with his other turbulent emotions to bring him here, a run-down neighborhood.

He knew that eventually he would have to stop and deal with what had caused him to slip out of the mansion unnoticed. Blowing air out between his teeth, he parked the car and walked to the door. For a fleeting moment, a voice in the back of his mind asked, "Do I have any right to be here?" The thought barely completed before he slammed down on it hard.

_If nothing else_, he thought to himself, _I have more right to be here than Taylor does._

He quietly cursed his newfound jealousy as he knocked on the door. As the door swung open, it occurred to him just how much he disliked Joey Wheeler.

"Kaiba! What are you doing here?" The brooding teen just stared, wondering that himself. Amazed by Kaiba's silence, Joey continued, "If you're looking for Serenity, she's still at work."

The internal need to throttle the older Wheeler was stifled as the taller teen realized how calmly Joey had told him where to find his sister. There was no love lost between the two, so the cautious CEO couldn't figure out why he'd be so helpful. Kaiba eyed the mutt warily.

Joey seemed not to notice, although he had noticed a complete lack of response, which wasn't like the lanky brunette at all. Further intrigued, he decided to continue in his deliberate ramble, "Of course, I don't know if she'd wanna talk to you anyway after the other night."

A small fire ignited behind Kaiba's eyes. _Bingo!_ Joey thought. His sister hadn't said a word about her conversation the other night, and he'd be only too happy to harass the details out of the arrogant teen.

Kaiba didn't feel like playing by the mutt's rules. "I guess that must be why she's decided to date Taylor." With that, he spun on his heel, got in his car, and drove off.

Joey, still standing at the door, was seething as he prepared to give his friend a piece of his mind. He completely missed that Kaiba had just done a brilliant job of getting out of the conversation.

(rule)

The bells on the door sounded quietly as the door was slowly opened and closed. He quickly scanned the coffee shop before making his way to the counter. _If Wheeler lied to me, no one will be able to save him from my wrath. Not even Yugi._

The girl behind the counter looked like she was probably a little older than he was. As she saw him approach, she smiled widely, "Hi, how can I help you?"

"You can find Serenity Wheeler," the teen growled.

"I'm sorry, Mister Kaiba, but she just left," came a calm voice from the direction of the shop's back room. He turned to face the shop's supervisor, whose face held pure determination, "and I would appreciate it if you would stop harassing my employee." It was probably the bravest thing she could have done, knowing the child (despite his position, he was hardly an adult) in front of her could destroy her life without a second thought. She also knew that she couldn't stand by and let him continue to torment a girl as dear and sweet as Serenity.

Kaiba stepped menacingly toward the small opening that allowed employees to move between the counter and the rest of the shop. Junko subconsciously took a step back, but after a moment of quiet debate decided to stand her ground. After a moment, he drew a deep breath, "How long ago did she leave?"

"Not long," the other girl responded. Kaiba eyed her out of the corner of his eye, Junko looked at her angrily.

Without so much as a nod, Kaiba stormed out of the shop, his departure marked by a cacophonous ringing of the bells.

* * *

Serenity had, in fact, just been dismissed as Kaiba walked in. She was just walking around the building when Kaiba came out of the shop. He noticed a movement coming from the shadows and spun to face the oncoming danger, only to find a spirited, silent redhead who seemed to have lost her fire.

_I can't stand it when she's like this._

With a shrug, he walked over to his car and opened the passenger door. "Get in." Serenity hadn't moved a step since seeing Kaiba exit the coffee shop. Now, she quickly got in the car. If she'd learned anything over the past couple of weeks, it was that she couldn't escape his orders. If she had failed to comply, she knew he'd have forced her. She quietly fastened her seat belt and folded her hands in her lap.

Without looking toward her, he started up the car. "Where are we going?" she asked shyly. When he didn't respond, she tried again, "Kaiba, where are we going?" If he heard her, he didn't show any sign. "Would you tell me if I said you're scaring me right now?"

"No," he mumbled.

In frustration, Serenity threw herself against the back of her seat and stared out the window. Not another word was spoken until the car stopped. She looked out at the scene before her. It was beautiful. A few fallen trees overlooking a river. The stars were sparkling overhead. She wasn't sure she'd seen anything so lovely since regaining her sight.

Kaiba stared at the steering wheel for several moments before stepping out of the car. Out of curiosity, Serenity followed him, whispering "It's very peaceful here."

He grunted, "Peaceful..." He sat down on one of the fallen logs, pushing back his trenchcoat so he wouldn't sit on it.. She watched him for a moment, and then removed her shoes and dangled her feet in the cool water. Kaiba couldn't take his eyes off her. She sat there so quietly, content to let the gentle current swirl around her feet. He knew he'd scared her this evening, but she seemed to be recovering quickly, returning to that placid state he admired in her.

That same serene state that she had evoked in him that night on the couch. He'd tried to put it, and her, out of his mind, but had inevitably failed. He wanted to know that level of peace again.

She drew small circles in the water with her feet, watching the ripples intersect and travel out away from her. It was relaxing, probably more so than anything she'd done recently. As she shifted her eyes from the water to the clear sky, she noticed his eyes follow the same path. Thankful for the new moon, she blushed and trembled slightly, uncomfortable at the realization he was watching her.

Mistaking the cause of the shudder, he walked over to her, taking off his coat and draping it around her shoulders. "We should head back."

Surprised, but ready to be home, Serenity nodded and followed Kaiba back to his car. "Seto?" she asked quietly.

He stopped, his back still to her. She had only addressed him by his first name once, and it had been only because she was too tired to realize what she had said. He decided he liked the way his name sounded when she said it, barely a whisper on the breeze.

"Thank you for bringing me here. For showing me this place."

He just smiled. "Whatever." If she'd been given a choice, he knew she likely wouldn't have come with him. The fact that she was thanking him for essentially kidnapping her confused him a great deal, but he was willing to live with it.

He quickly helped her into the car, and then slid into the driver's seat and started the car.


	16. Chapter 16

Author's Notes:  
Wow! The momentum! It all started when I realized I was almost in the perfect position to use a group of lines I'd come up with a couple of months ago! (It really is weird to realize this story has been going on for _months_! I really need to get myself a life!) The test prep classes are wrapping up today, but the story still needs to be finished. I have a couple of loose ends to deal with, and then I have to craft an ending.

Endings were never my strong suit.

I haven't quite decided what my next project will be. I have a _M.A.S.K._ story that people have asked me to finish. I have a _Digimon_ story that I need to finish. My story files for both _Yu-Gi-Oh_ and _Fruits Basket_ are brimming with good ideas (including one for _Yu-Gi-Oh_ that has a slight _Descendants of Darkness_ touch to it). I'm sure something will occur to me when the time comes!

Anyway, you're probably far more interested in the story at hand...

* * *

Chapter 16

The drive back into Domino was as quiet as the drive away had been. Serenity sat and gazed out the window again, staring at the stars as they twinkled. Tonight had been almost perfect, if it weren't for the fact Kaiba worried her at the beginning of it. She let her mind wander back to sitting quietly at the river's edge, the memory lulling her into a light nap.

She hadn't even realized they were back in Domino when she felt a hand on her arm and heard her name whispered. Blinking the sleep away, she slipped her shoes back on and gathered her belongings. Kaiba watched her for a moment, and then got out of the car. She wondered if he intended to be a complete gentleman by opening her door for her. Then, she realized she didn't want Joey to realize why she was coming home late.

Then, she realized she'd be coming home much later than she thought. Yet again, the aloof billionaire had brought her to his home.

As she stared at the garage, Kaiba gently gripped her arm and led her into the mansion.

"Why are we here?" she asked.

"Well, I live here, and you were asleep. I really didn't think you'd want to wake up to me arguing with your brother." Serenity knew she had to still be asleep; Kaiba's explanation made too much sense. She nodded sleepily as he guided her to the couch in the game room, the same one they'd been curled up on together a week ago.

"Stay here," he commanded quietly. She realized that she was too tired to consider doing anything else, so she stretched out on the couch. By the time he returned with a blanket, she had already fallen back asleep.

Disappearing again, he returned with his laptop and sat on the floor beside the couch, working until exhaustion claimed him, too.

* * *

Serenity woke with a start. Her dreams had been pleasant enough, despite the fact they seemed to feature Kaiba. Rolling over caused something to catch her as she nearly fell off the couch that she was fairly certain she was still on. 

The touch had pulled her quickly from her sleep. To her great surprise, Kaiba was sitting beside the couch, his head drooping. She quickly realized it must have been a reflex. He'd felt her roll into his shoulders and moved to push her back on to the couch.

_I wonder how many times he's had to do the same for Mokuba._

Looking over his shoulder, Serenity could see that he had fallen asleep over his work, something else she was pretty sure wasn't unusual. For a moment, she wasn't sure if she should wake him, so she carefully slipped off the couch, moved the laptop, and draped the blanket over the sleeping CEO. She looked around for her purse, quickly finding it and extracting her cell phone.

She really didn't want to think about how angry and worried Joey was going to be when he answered. "Hrmmo?" came the groggy response.

She moved quickly to the foyer as she spoke quietly, "Hey, Joey. It's me. I just wanted to let you know I'm all right."

"Mokay." The line went dead. Serenity looked at her phone and shook her head. She wondered if her brother would even remember that she had tried to call and check in with him.

_At least he's not worried about me._

She tiptoed back into the game room and placed her phone back in her purse. Kaiba was still sitting in the position she'd left him in, so she decided to try to help him lie down. Once she had the teen settled, she went exploring. She'd been to the mansion a couple of times a week ago, but she still really didn't know where anything was.

* * *

Mokuba managed to wake up before his brother. Kaiba hadn't been home when the black-haired boy went to bed, and that was normal. His brother wasn't in either of his normal places this morning, though, and that made Mokuba wonder. 

The boy made his way to the top of the stairs and sat down to think. Today was a holiday for both of their schools, so it was possible he'd gone into the office. He usually didn't leave without telling Mokuba, though, and the boy knew there weren't any pressing projects going on at KaibaCorp that would require his brother to be there earlier than usual.

As he sat there stumped, a potential answer came into his view. His eyes lit up as he watched Serenity Wheeler walk into the foyer, but he sat quietly to see what she was doing. She definitely had not been in the mansion when he went to bed, so that meant his brother had to be somewhere about. He watched as the redhead walked to the door of the game room and stood there for a moment. So that's were his brother was! He'd fallen asleep in the game room, which was probably where Serenity had slept, too. He smiled. It looked like his plan was working!

She stood there for a moment, watching Kaiba sleep. His brown hair fell in his eyes, fluttering lightly as the fierce businessman all but snored on the floor of his own game room. Serenity wondered if she should wake him up and try to convince him to finish his sleep in his own bed, but she was afraid to think what he might do if she woke him up. She turned and walked out into the foyer, not quite sure what she should do next.

"Hi, Serenity!" The boy's unexpected greeting caused her to jump. When she looked in the direction of the voice, she could see Mokuba's smiling face at the top of the stairs. Returning the smile, she made her way up to join him in his thinking spot.

"You came back!"

"Accidentally," she explained. "I fell asleep, and your brother brought me here instead of home."

The boy shrugged, "That's fine. Probably better anyway!" Serenity looked at him confused, but he continued on, "Is Seto down there?"

She nodded. "He fell asleep with his laptop in his lap." Mokuba chuckled at that. His brother was notorious for doing that, although he usually did it in his office.

Serenity looked around. The foyer looked so much different from this spot, so grand. Disbelieving that she had once again ended up sleeping in this beautiful house, she turned to Mokuba, "I feel like Beauty."

"Who?" the little boy asked.

It almost didn't surprise her that he didn't know who she meant. Those kinds of things were probably frowned upon by both his stepfather and his brother. "You know...from that old European fairy tale?"

Mokuba's eyes unfocused for just a moment as he tried to figure out what she was talking about, but then he responded, "Yeah, my brother can be a real beast."

Serenity couldn't help but giggle.

"You want a beast? Fine. You can start taking up more of your duties at KaibaCorp. Paperwork...meetings..." Two pairs of eyes looked cautiously over the railing to see Seto Kaiba, wide awake and somewhat amused, standing in the doorway to the game room.

The boy quickly protested, "But Seto, you said I have to finish elementary school before you'll let me do any of the real work!" As KaibaCorp's vice president, Mokuba Kaiba was actually far more involved in what happened with his brother's company than people realized.

Kaiba snorted at his brother's attempt at innocence and walked off into the kitchen. Mokuba started down the stairs, dragging Serenity behind him. Things really were working out the way he wanted, and he didn't even have to do much work.

* * *

Many thanks to **_GenericHero_** for helping with this chapter. Please go read his recently updated story _Virtually Perfect_! 


	17. Chapter 17

Author's Notes:  
I'm sitting among friends watching _Fruits Basket_ and writing this. I suppose there's something funny in that. We're watching the first episode with Ayame, and I've taken a poll. Of those who are familiar with both _Fruits Basket_ and _Yu-Gi-Oh_, the unanimous consent is that Ayame Sohma is very reminiscent of Maximillion Pegasus. It's pretty funny.

The story continues on toward something resembling a conclusion. At this point, I'm really just trying to figure out how to get there. I do know where I'm headed. I know what needs to be done between here and there. It's just a matter of the weaving in between! Perhaps I just need to lay out what loose ends need tying up. I think too many of them center around Tristan at this point.

I do have one more little bit of fun I want to abuse Mokuba for, too. Guess I have some work to do!

* * *

Chapter 17

"Hey, Serenity, you should come to the arcade with me today!" The girl startled at Mokuba's energetic invitation.

"Um...I'll...I'll think about it, okay, Mokuba?" Serenity fidgeted with her napkin.

The boy smiled, his gray eyes sparkling. "And then tonight, we can all have dinner together!"

A tug at the edge of Serenity's mind told her she had somewhere to be that evening, but for the life of her, sitting at Kaiba's dining room table, she couldn't remember where. Mokuba's chipper mood was threatening to envelop her and drag her along, anyway. Whatever it was, it wasn't important.

"I don't know when I'll be home, Mokuba." The boy pouted as his older brother reminded him of how things normally ran in the Kaiba household.

"But...but...you wouldn't want me to have dinnner all alone with Serenity...would you?" Mokuba's practiced puppy dog stare failed to affect his brother. Serenity, on the other hand, was trying to hide her blushing cheeks, although the boy was uncertain if it was because of the innocently suggestive tone in his voice, or at the thought that perhaps her presence could sway the elder Kaiba into being home for dinner.

Kaiba snorted and left the table. Mokuba watched him, a disappointed look clouding his face.

_One way or the other, I'll make him see he likes her!_

* * *

Serenity finally relented and let Mokuba drag her along to the arcade. She couldn't remember the last time she'd gone out just for fun, or the last time she'd had such a hyper companion.

The younger Kaiba dragged her all over, challenging her to various games. He won most of them, but she got lucky and managed to push him off the road in a racing game, allowing her to get enough of a lead to defeat him. Both had a good laugh. As he started to tire, she suggested they head back home to start getting dinner ready.

Mokuba yawned. "What should we make for dinner?"

Serenity thought about it for a moment. Still certain she was supposed to be somewhere that evening, she really hadn't given dinner with the Kaibas much thought. "I don't know. What does your brother like?"

A playful smirk crossed the boy's face. _This is almost too easy._ "Seto will pretty much eat whatever I put in front of him. What do you like, Serenity?"

Feeling like she was back at square one, the girl tucked a few stray strands of hair behind her ear. "Hmm...maybe we should see what's around the house and go from there."

He didn't really care that she seemed to be stalling. He was just excited that she would be joining them for dinner that evening. He loved having her around. Somehow, her presence made his brother more...he wasn't sure if human was the right term, but Seto seemed softer when Serenity was around.

The pair headed back to prepare for the evening.

* * *

Kaiba kept finding himself distracted at work. Why did Mokuba have to invite Serenity to dinner? Why did he even care that his brother had done that? He actually enjoyed the girl's presence, finding that she lived up to her name.

His mind ran over the past couple of weeks. Every incident. Every conversation. Every argument. To think, the girl he wanted to have close by was the one he initially sought out only to torment, to assert his power over her horrid brother. One particular argument with the mutt came to mind, one that took place in the schoolyard of their high school. It had been a pointless argument, but Serenity had come running to her brother's defense. That was perhaps the first time he really took notice of her. No fear, only concern for her worthless brother.

Something else from that afternoon stuck out in his mind. Someone had tripped him. Someone who had, up until this moment, escaped notice. Kaiba settled back in his chair and thought back over the afternoon. It seemed like a lifetime ago, but the scene played out in his perfect memory. He was arguing with Joey. Serenity ran up and stood between them, yelling at him. At the edge of the scene, he could see Yugi Moto and Tristan Taylor running up to join their friend. He remembered walking up to Serenity, Yugi passing out of his peripheral vision. Taylor, however, never made it out of sight.

It became clear what had happened. Taylor probably thought he was protecting Serenity from the big, bad Seto Kaiba. The teen CEO nearly laughed_. He thought to make me look like a fool that day. Now, I'll make him look like a fool tonight_.

Pleased with himself for realizing how simple and enjoyable his revenge would be, Kaiba checked the clock. If his guess was correct, Mokuba and Serenity would be sitting down to dinner soon, provided she hadn't left to go meet Taylor yet.

He shut his laptop, and headed for home.

* * *

Mokuba pulled Serenity's seat out for her as she approached the table. She smiled graciously at him, "If only your brother had your manners, Mokuba."

The raven-haired boy giggled, "Seto's not that bad. He even thinks manners are a necessity, but only for the right people." He then moved to his own seat and uncovered the dish in the middle of the table, "Dinner is served!" She applauded.

Quiet applause from the room's entrance startled both. They turned to see Kaiba walking into the room.

"Seto! You're home!" the younger Kaiba excalimed. He'd hoped against all hope that his brother would actually be home for dinner, but he'd never expected to see him. Serenity seemed similarly amazed to see him.

The lanky teen calmly made his way across the room to his seat. He was pleased to see her still in the mansion, although he was surprised to find that much of his feeling stemmed from Serenity herself instead of his grudge against Tristan. He sat and looked at the presented dish, something resembling a casserole. He'd have to remember to get his brother some Japanese cookbooks.

Unable to contain himself, Mokuba started serving dinner, Serenity first, then his brother, then himself. The three enjoyed a nice, quiet dinner, Serenity's feeling that she needed to be elsewhere vanished for the evening.

* * *

After dinner, Mokuba retired to the game room. After a day at the arcade, Serenity thought he would have tired of it. Kaiba, on the other hand, was completely unsurprised by his brother.

Serenity decided to find her phone, to once again let Joey know where she was. She had forgotten her phone when they'd left for the arcade, and preparations for dinner had kept her busy most of the afternoon.

She quickly fished the phone out of her purse. The message light was blinking. _Probably just Joey_, she thought as she started checking her messages. One of the messages was indeed her brother looking for her. The other four made her heart sink. She had completely forgotten that she had agreed to go to a movie with Tristan. He had been looking for her, hoping she hadn't forgotten. His last message had been so heartbreaking.

She stared at the phone. How could she have been so thoughtless? All day, she'd had this feeling that she had something to do, and she'd managed to completely forget what it was. She debated listening to the messages again, but she knew she didn't have the heart. Tristan was probably not happy with her at the moment.

Reluctantly, she called her brother to let her know she would probably be out all evening. Then, she tried to call Tristan, but he never answered his phone.

* * *

On his way to his office, Kaiba peeked in on Serenity. She was sitting on the bed, her chin rested on her knees as she hugged them to her chest. He'd gotten revenge on Taylor, but he could now see the price. He could only assume, as he noticed her cell phone sitting a few inches from her, that she now remembered that she had plans with Taylor. Like him, Serenity hated breaking plans, and he could see that she was just beside herself.

In his office, the door closed securely behind him, he tried to shake the image of the upset girl out of his head. By the end of the day, he was certain she'd forget about her broken date with Taylor and would return to her down-to-earth, optimistic self.

* * *

If you haven't already, you should check out _**GenericHero**_'s story _Virtually Perfect_! You should also shower him with cookies for all the great work he does on this story! 


	18. Chapter 18

Author's Notes:  
I really don't know what to say. I never expected this story to be so long, so warmly received, to bring so many people into my little corner of the world.

Thank you to each and everyone of you who took the time to read any part of this story. Thank you to those of you who took the time to review it. Thank you to those of you who added it to your favorites. (Why do I suddenly feel like an inept acceptee at the Academy Awards?)

Special thanks go to **_KiWingz_** for inspiring bits and pieces of this story, and to **_GenericHero_** for not being afraid to offer suggestions on various chapters. I shudder to think what this story might have been like without them!

This is it. The end. I hope you've enjoyed it!

* * *

Chapter 18

Serenity was out of sorts the next day. She'd spent the better part of the morning trying to reach Tristan to apologize, but he still wasn't answering his phone. She still felt awful about forgetting their meeting. When she tired of not being able to reach Tristan, Serenity took a deep breath and called home. As expected, Joey answered the phone.

"Hey, Big Brother. It's me," she tried to quiet the trembling in her voice.

"Serenity! Where are you? Are you all right?"

_Just once, I wish he would stop being overprotective_. "I'm fine, Joey. I just spent the night...," she had to think quickly, "...at a friend's house." If Joey had any idea where she was, the redhead knew her brother would strangle Kaiba.

"What friend?" Joey asked suspiciously.

"Just...a friend from school!" _A lie of omission is still a lie_, she told herself. Hoping to distract Joey from further questioning her, she continued, "Have you seen Tristan? He's not answering his phone."

"Tristan? No, haven't seen him."

Serenity's heart sank. "Okay, thanks. I'll be home later." Before he had a chance to respond, she hung up the phone.

She was debating trying to call her brother's tall, dark-haired friend one last time when she heard a knock on the door. Putting the phone in her purse, she called out a less than cheerful, "Come in."

One look at her face told the elder Kaiba that his peace was about to be disrupted. "What?"

"I forgot that I had plans with a friend last night."

"Oh." The tone in Kaiba's voice clearly said, 'Is that all?'

Serenity stared at him in near disbelief. "'Oh'? I'm feeling guilty and all you can say is, 'Oh.'? He won't even talk to me right now!"

"Taylor will get over it," Kaiba replied smugly.

The girl's blood boiled. "How did you know it was Tristan I broke plans with?" The brunette snorted and walked out.

Serenity chased him. "Kaiba, how _did_ you know?" She cursed her diminutive height as the older teen's longer strides took him father from her reach. As she tried to catch up with him, she tried to remember if she had told either Kaiba or Mokuba, but she knew she hadn't.

By the time she reached the top of the stairs, Kaiba was out of sight. She plopped down on the top stair, wondering why he'd come looking for her in the first place.

* * *

He hadn't expected her to be so upset about missing her night out with Taylor. Perhaps he had misjudged her after all. Perhaps she knew all along what Taylor's intentions were, and even welcomed them. It seemed highly unlikely that after being so oblivious to the monkey's overtures, Serenity Wheeler had suddenly caught on. It seemed even more unlikely that she reciprocated Taylor's feelings.

She was genuinely upset, though.

Kaiba opened his laptop and logged in. He could feel anger rising in the back of his mind, but he pushed it aside and tried to focus on his work. If Tristan Taylor was what she wanted, then she could have him.

Half an hour later, he realized he was looking at the same document he had opened when he sat down and had changed nothing on the file. Frustrated, he slammed the laptop closed and rested his head in his hands.

"This is why I hate dealing with people," he muttered as he massaged his temples. In the back of his mind, a small voice bravely warned Kaiba that he was the source of his own headache.

Unable to get any work done, he walked out into the manor. He peeked in the guest room he'd assigned to Serenity, but she wasn't there. In fact, her purse and jacket weren't even in the room. Recognizing the significance of that fact, he went looking for his brother. Unsurprisingly, Mokuba was in the game room.

"Where's Serenity?" He mentally cursed himself as he realized his anger was leaking into his voice.

:She left," Mokuba replied glumly. "She was pretty mad when she left. Did you two have a fight?"

"No," the elder Kaiba replied bluntly. "She just found out that I really am a beast."

Mokuba looked at his brother uncertainly as his joke from the previous morning came back to haunt him. "What happened, Seto?"

"Don't worry about it, Little Brother." Before Mokuba could say another word, Kaiba slipped away. He was fairly certain he knew where the redhead was headed.

* * *

"I'm home!" Serenity's voice, much calmer after the long walk from Kaiba's mansion, rang out through the apartment.

"Hey, Sis," was all the response she got from Joey. She peeked around the corner and saw him watching a movie. Somehow, she'd expected her arrival would have garnered a stronger reaction, given Joey's behavior over the phone. With a small sigh, she hung up her coat and continued on toward her room.

As soon as her purse landed on her desk, she heard a knock on the front door. Knowing Joey would deal with it, she kicked off her shoes and changed clothes.

The next knock, a firm rhythmic tone against her bedroom door, caused her to jump. She opened the door and saw Kaiba standing there, hands stuffed in his pockets.

She must have stood looking at him too long. He interrupted her reverie, "We need to talk." Without even thinking about it, she opened the door farther, allowing him to enter the room.

"About last night...," as he turned to face her, his eyes swept over her spartan, tidy room. It was very much like her, and in direct opposition to the living area of the apartment.

"Yes?" she responded curiously. Had she said something wrong, done something? She couldn't imagine hurting two friends in one night.

Looking at her face, realizing that she had no reason to connect him to missing her date, he wished he hadn't followed her and just let her be. Of course, he could still let things be... "I just wanted to make sure you got home safely. Now that I see you have, I'll be going." He blew past her, slowly letting out a cautious breath.

"Kaiba?" He could hear it in her voice. She wanted to hear him say that he had made a lucky guess, to tell her anything that would let her continue thinking he was a somewhat decent human being. Her voice full of hope and doubt, she asked the question he didn't want to answer, "How _did_ you know it was Tristan I had broken my plans with?"

His hand reached for the door knob. He could easily have walked out, never answering the question. That path seemed cowardly to the businessman, and he sincerely wanted nothing but honesty between himself and the girl. With a deep sigh, he turned around, "I overheard you."

Serenity didn't have to say a word. Her face clearly had, "What?" written all over it.

Looking away, Kaiba continued, "I heard him ask you out. I knew you had plans."

She continued to look at him, surprise replacing the questioning look, "You...knew...?"

Her innocence almost made the scene too painful. For one brief moment, his need for revenge over something so inconsequential seemed truly pathetic. He looked at her, her hazel eyes pleading with him to tell her...anything. She was looking for anything that would allow her to believe he was a good guy.

He couldn't give it to her. "I knew. I came home early to make sure you didn't go."

"You what?" Her temper slowly started matching her long hair.

"It would seem it was unnecessary. You forgot anyway." Kaiba's breezy tone ignited Serenity's temper.

She was silent for several moments, trying to organize her jumbled thoughts before addressing him. "You wanted me to miss meeting Tristan? Why?"

"Because he doesn't deserve you," Kaiba responded flatly.

Serenity was certain she hadn't heard the billionaire correctly. "What do you mean?"

_Oh, yeah. She never figured out that was supposed to be a date._ The one trait Serenity appeared to share with her brother was being painfully oblivious to the most obvious things. "I just thought you'd enjoy yourself more if you spent the evening with Mokuba and me."

Behind him, the silence was deafening. He wanted to turn around, to see the look on her face, but he couldn't make herself face him.

"Let me get this straight, Kaiba. You knew I was supposed to meet a friend last night, but decided to change my plans for me?"

He now had little choice but to face her. Her porcelain face was nearly the color of her hair, and he knew she had every right to be upset. Even if she had forgotten, he had known and could have said something. He had chosen not to, though, hoping to keep her soothing presence around.

A silent tear slid down Serenity's cheek, "How dare you? What gives you the right to make decisions about who_ I_ can spend _my_ time with?" He just stood there quietly, unmoved. Not that the girl had expected a response from the brooding teen. "Get out!"

For a moment longer, he stood silently, trying to figure out how to resolve the situation in his favor. When he didn't leave, she rose her voice," Get out!"

He reached for the door knob behind him, willing his feet to carry him out of the room, but the door burst open before he grasped the cold metal.

"Serenity!" Joey looked at Kaiba, dusting himself off from being bashed by the door. "What's going on?"

The lanky teen moved around the elder Wheeler, "I was just leaving." His dismissive tone infuriated Joey.

The blonde opened his mouth, forming an angry retort, but his sister's quiet voice stopped him, "Joey, just let him go."

* * *

The door to the office opened slowly. Small footsteps padded quietly across the office. Mokuba sat down in the chair across from his brother. The elder Kaiba had been locked in his office all day, growling at anyone who violated his sanctuary.

As he looked at his older brother, Mokuba noticed the life had leeched out of those piercing blue eyes that brought grown men to their knees. Hoping to restore the sparkle to those cerulean eyes, he asked, "Is Serenity going to join us for dinner?"

Kaiba tensed. Mokuba knew immediately that something bad had happened, his lovely hopes had been derailed.

Several moments passed in silence before the brunette finally responded, "Forget about Serenity, Mokuba."

The younger boy blinked, "What happened?"

"She taught me an important lesson." _That the only love I need is that of my brother._

"Oh?" Given the look on his brother's face, Mokuba was certain he didn't want to hear this lesson.

"Wheelers aren't worth my time."

* * *

I realize this is probably not the ending anyone was expecting, but it's the one I'd intended.

Well-defended flames will be tolerated. Pointless flames will be ignored. Thank you!


End file.
